Divided We Fall
by Tauria
Summary: Two years ago, Skeleton King fled Shuggazoom. The Hyper Force followed close behind him, determined to rid the Universe of him. They never returned.
1. Prologue

**Tauria: **First, HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY! Second, I've had this idea for a while, and it was supposed to be one of my new stories anyway. I was going to wait until my computer was fixed before I published this, but then I decided to change the way it was going to be set up anyway, so it works xD**  
**

**Chiro: **She's a _little _excited for this one, though she hasn't let me read anything yet...

**Tauria: **:P This one - and the other one I'll post sooner or later - will take me a bit to update on, because I have to make sure I don't fall short on my plotline and stuff.

**Chiro: **She's setting her expectations a bit higher for this one...

**Tauria: **Except the prologue... Not to worried about it, actually XD But the rest of it... yeah. I'm going to be a bit picky with this one...

**Chiro: **-shakes head-

**Tauria: **I don't own SRMT!

* * *

**Divided We Fall**

_Tauria_

**Prologue**

* * *

"Chiro, are you sure about this?" the pink haired robot girl clasped her boyfriend's hands worriedly. "Skeleton King is gone... why do you have to do this?"

"Jinmay, the Hyper Force cannot stay on a planet where we aren't needed," the black haired boy replied, sapphire eyes full of sadness, and pain. "Besides… he might have left, but he's still out there somewhere."

"B-but, I need you..." the girl whispered, clasping his hands tighter.

He stroked her cheek. "I know. I need you too, but Shuggazoom needs you more, just as the Universe needs the Team and me more. One day, we will meet again. One day, you and I will see one another once more, and I won't have to leave. For now... We have a duty we must perform."

Jinmay sighed softly in defeat, placing a little kiss on Chiro's cheek. "Come back to me alive, alright?"

"I promise." he smiled. He kissed her briefly, and let her hands go. He waved farewell to the citizens, and he and the monkey team boarded the Super Robot.

Sea foam green eyes watched as the Robot flew out of sight. She sighed softly. She would miss him… However, she knew that Chiro would return. She knew that he needed to do this, for his own peace of mind. And so, she whispered, "Good luck, Chiro, Monkey Team. I'll see you again... someday."

And she turned and headed back to the city, prepared to defend it for Chiro. This time, she would be more capable. This time she would not let Chiro down. And he wouldn't let her down... he couldn't.

* * *

_Two Years Later_

No one had heard from the Hyper Force since the disappearance of Skeleton King. They had left, to finish the job... and had never returned. Not even Jinmay knew what happened...

Most people feared the worst. There were some, who knew the Hyper Force well, that claimed they were still out there somewhere, waiting for the right time to return. After all, Shuggazoom was pretty well safe now. The Hyper Force was no longer needed as much.

The Hyper Force had never stayed where they weren't needed. They always moved on, protecting the Universe from evil. Shuggazoom no longer needed their protection. Other planets did.

Then there was Jinmay.

She had heard his farewell words, and knew that they could have vanquished Skeleton King long before this. She knew Chiro had not died… No, that much was for certain. That news traveled around the Universe fast. No, something must have happened, to make it where they could not return.

But what?

Few injuries lasted for two years, so she wasn't quite sure that had happened.

They might have crash landed on a third world planet, but Otto was such a gifted mechanic surely he could have had it up by now.

There had been no message, no word. So obviously something was _very _wrong… Skeleton King or Mandarin might have captured them, but Mandarin attacked the city so often he wouldn't be able to resist gloating to the girl. Skeleton King… they would have received word… Surely someone would tell them if he was still around…

So what could have happened?

* * *

**Chiro: **...what are you doing _now_?

**Tauria: **...um... You'll see? Anyways, like I said before I'm going to be very picky about these chapters, so it might take a bit to update! But _Why Me?; Monkey See, Monkey Do; __Losing;_ and _Tales of Tails_ will be updated whenever. xD

**Chiro: **-rolls eyes and shakes head- Great...

**Tauria: **:P Just send us off.

**Chiro: **Please leave a review!


	2. Remeeting and Changes

******Tauria: **Just like with all of my other stories, yes I know it has been a while. But I warned you that it would take a while with this one. I have a standard I want to uphold for this one. However, for these first few chapters, I have to lower that standard, as they're really just chapters that I need to be able to get to where I need to be, or I would start my story in the middle. Though I've read books and other stories that pull it off really well, I don't think I'd really manage that so well...

**Chiro: **Tauria doesn't own SRMT. Just her own crazy plot ideas...

**Tauria: **They aren't crazy!

-recieves many, many odd looks-

**Tauria: **Okay, okay. Maybe a few of them are crazy.

**Chiro: **It's a start.

* * *

**Divided We Fall**_  
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_Tauria_**  
**

**Remeetings and Changes**

Crunch. Crunch.

The sound of the leaves under his footsteps were the only sounds he made. Even his breathing was quiet. He had perfected the art of silence in the years he had traveled. He could silence his feet if he must, but he preferred the sound, finding the quiet made him uneasy if there was no danger in the situation.

Sapphire blue eyes finally found the civilization he had been trying to reach. He did not want to park his ship to close to the city, for fear of being noticed and recognized too quickly.

He wore relatively normal clothes for the setting he would soon be entering. A t-shirt and jeans were perfect for the weather this planet distributed all year round, winter not being one of it's seasons... At least not in the normal respect. Sure, it got chilly, but that was it. There was no natural snow to be found on this planet since the last Ice Age.

The boy felt weird without his normal gear, however. He felt... exposed. Like anything could come up and attack him, and he would be defenseless. Not that he was. No... It had been a long time since this young man had been defenseless.

It had been two years since he had stepped foot on his home world. He had done and seen much since then. The raven haired boy looked up at the city that had once been his home above all others. It was only missing one thing... The large silver structure that had been in the center of town for five of the fifteen years he had lived there. Now he was seventeen, but he felt years younger as he looked at the bright city. Swallowing back memories, he entered the city.

No one seemed to recognize him, and for that he was glad. He did not need all of the questions that they would ask... He did not need all of the suspicious stares that would surely be granted his way. He did not need to be reminded of how long he had been gone. What he needed was to find the one person in this city who could help him.

This was proving to be a difficult process, his obscured identity getting in the way more often then not. He was just beginning to get worried when he found the structure that contained her presence. Sighing with relief that he would not have to blow his cover in order to reach her, he entered the large building.

His footsteps echoed more then he remembered, but it was much emptier then it had been the last time he had been here. Not that that was anytime recently. However, he soon found a dagger held to his throat, as he looked into familiar green eyes. He didn't react to the dagger, knowing that acting uneasy would do nothing, but confidence was everything.

"It's nice to see you again," he said sincerely.

Her eyes narrowed. Oh, how it hurt to see the mistrust on her face, even if it wasn't directed at _him_ though at the same time it was. "I don't recall ever seeing you before," she retorted.

"That's because I've grown in the past two years," the young man replied.

The girl took a longer look at him.

The seventeen year old male that stood before her was pale, and he was tall. He had spiky black hair, and his eyes were blue. His ears were slightly pointed, and he had muscles that could easily overpower her, dagger or not... Were she what she seemed anyway.

"Nope. Still not ringing any bells," the pink haired girl responded.

The blue eyed teen sighed heavily. "Really? I thought for sure you would recognize me... But I suppose I do look different. I finally hit that growth spurt... And I suppose my hair has gotten longer... But surely... Surely you know who I am? I highly doubt you've forgotten me."

"Can you not simply tell me who you are?" the green eyed girl said exasperatedly.

"No... I need to know you know who I am... No one recognizes me anymore. This is the first time I've been in contact with someone I _know _knows me." he was honest with her, not seeing any point in lying.

She sighed. "Can you at least give me a hint? This dagger isn't moving until you tell me who you are."

"For starters, I know you're a robot."

"Everyone on Shuggazoom knows that by now," she retorted.

"I know you once worked for Skeleton King."

Wincing, she replied, "I attacked the city. Obviously people know this."

"I know that you were an honorary member of the Hyper Force."

"Again, well-known."

He groaned. "I know what happened to the Hyper Force while they were gone," he smirked.

She frowned. "I don't believe you... And not knowing myself, I won't believe a word you say, no matter how believable it may seem."

"Even once you know who I am, you won't believe the tale I have to tell," he said darkly.

She frowned at him once more. "I need a more solid hint," she said firmly.

"Fine..." he sighed. "Look into my eyes, and maybe then you'll understand who I am."

The girl peered at him suspiciously, but did as he asked.

The seventeen year old's sapphire orbs seemed so familiar... His voice sounded familiar too, but surely it could not be him. She had guessed from the beginning, but she hadn't thought he would play this game even if it was really him. Though she should have expected it from him. He always liked to be difficult. Finally, she knew that there was no doubt. Despite the fact he was so much older... Maybe not in age, but in his maturity.

"Alright... Alright... I know who you are," the girl lowered the dagger. "It's good to see you again Chiro... but if you ever act this difficult again, you are going to find that I won't be as amused."

"So I'm not the only one who's changed," the boy remarked, smiling a bit. "It's nice to see you again as well, Jinmay."

"Where are the monkey team? Why aren't they with you? Where have you been? Where's Skeleton King? What happened out there?" she rapidly fired of questions, ignoring his smile. She had missed him so much since he had disappeared, and she wasn't ready to forgive him for leaving just yet.

"Um... This is going to take a while. Can we find a place to sit, and eat? It's been a while since I've had a proper meal."

"Alright. I can arrange that."

She did, taking him to living room. Chiro felt slightly guilty about not helping her prepare the meal, but Jinmay gave him a look every time he tried to get up, which he took to mean 'stay in there if you know what's good for you'. And he did exactly as that glare said. He stayed put.

She brought food for them both, and once Chiro had consumed an ample amount of the food on his plate, he began talking.

"After we left, the team and I headed towards the last known location of the Skeleton King. When we got there, he wasn't there, as we expected, but we were able to track him to a galaxy near there. I don't remember the exact name or quadrant, but we went there. We encountered him for a brief moment before he jumped through a hyper space warp tunnel. We chased him around for a bit, trying to keep him on his toes so that one day we could take him down. One day it seemed he had finally gotten tired of the endless chase and run game we played. It had been one year since we had left, and we were all homesick. We fought, and it was a hard and long battle. We took him down, and were all set to return home. However... one of his evils had boarded the Super Robot. It destroyed us from the inside out. It led to panic... It's dark touch caused us to break apart... We fell. We were no longer a team. We each managed to grab a spare ship and leave. The Robot probably still floats there. I feel guilty about leaving the Super Robot, but I'm not Otto. I couldn't have fixed it. I was the last to leave, however. I was nearly destroyed by the thing, but I managed to escape. I don't know where the others went, though I have a good idea."

"Why haven't you came back before now?" the pink haired robot girl asked.

Chiro ran a hand through his hair. "I couldn't. The Power Primate told me it wasn't time yet. I listened, and followed my instincts. I went to several planets, learning new skills and experience from those who lived there. A year later, I was informed it was time to come home. So here I am."

She nodded. She didn't have the Power Primate herself, but she knew that it worked in mysterious ways. There was no opposing what it wanted you to do, because it would happen, one way or another. "So what now?"

"I think I have to get the team back together. I don't know... I usually get told about this in a dream."

"Care to explain a bit further?"

He nodded. "Antauri got visions at random points during the day. There was never a set time at which he would receive one. He would zone out for a bit, and then he would know what to do. Whether these visions came as words, images, or both, he always managed to interpret it. I have visions when I sleep. If I need to receive a vision, I will pass out. Most of the time though, the Power Primate waits until I actually need to sleep. Antauri told me that it was because my visions as the Chosen One were a bit more powerful, and contained more that I needed to absorb. A dream was the best way to give me that."

"Alright... And what is your plan for getting the team back together?"

"Well... from the visions I have already had, they will not listen to me. They need someone who wasn't there that day... Someone who didn't know exactly what happened, detail by detail. They need you Jinmay. I need you to help us get back together again."

She was speechless for a moment.

"Chiro... Listen. The Monkey Team cares about you. You were family... You _are _family. Why would they not listen to you?"

"Because of everything that happened that day."

"Which was...?"

"There are somethings that cannot be put into words... and they don't need to be."

Jinmay left it at that, deciding that the cryptic answer was probably all she would get anyway. Chiro had never liked it when you tried to force information out of him. He didn't respond well to that, and she had a feeling that that had not changed... It had probably only grown worse, judging by how he's spent the last year or so.

"If you say so. But we should probably get some rest. It was already getting late when you arrived."

Chiro nodded, agreeing with the pink haired girl. "Where do I sleep?"

She led him down a familiar hallway. "Here," she said, opening the door to a rather nicely kept room.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

"Goodnight... Sleep well."

"I wish you the same," the pink haired girl risked a kiss on his cheek before entering her own bedroom.

And just as he had when they were fifteen, and fourteen, Chiro blushed, cheeks a bright pink. Maybe he hadn't changed that much after all.

* * *

**Tauria: **Eh... I guess it was alright. It's longer then my usual, so that's pretty good XD

**Chiro: **-eye roll- Please leave a review!


	3. Morning Thinking and Ice Water Laughter

**Tauria: **Hiya! Hope I haven't kept you guys waiting _too _long for an update on this. This chapter was originally supposed to be longer (which is why it took so long) but I decided to wait for the next chapter. In other words, this is just kind of a filler chapter.

**Chiro: **-shakes head-

**Tauria: **:D Anyways, hope you enjoy!

**Chiro: **Tauria does not own SRMTHFG!

* * *

**Divided We Fall**

_Tauria_**  
**

**Morning Thinking and Ice Water Laughter**

The room Chiro was staying in was rather plain, and void of a personal touch. No one had stayed there in the past two years, for this had been his room when he had been an active participant in the War. The walls were white, and the floor was a light wood color. A dresser devoid of any belongings stood in against the wall, and an empty bookshelf beside it. A rug of the Hyper Force emblem rested below the bed, which had white sheets and a blue blanket. Only the closet contained boxed up belongings, ready for moving at a moment's notice.

Sun shone through the window, bringing light to the plain room. He still slept, ignoring the warmth on his face and the light that glared behind his closed eyelids in favor of the comforting atmosphere of his bed, with the warm blankets he had cocooned himself in. He had not had a proper sleep in about a week now, and that definitely made this was a welcome change.

Jinmay had been up for an hour at this time, unable to sleep well in light of what she had been told by her boyfriend. Or was he her previous boyfriend? He had been absent so long, she didn't know if they were together anymore, or if they were even still compatible. She hoped they were. Not only would it be horrible if all of this longing for him was done in vain, but she still felt a large attraction to him, even after these two years.

She sat in the kitchen, a cup of tea in one of her small hands. Green eyes were directed towards an old picture of the team, herself, and Chiro. This had been taken before the War, before Chiro had even found out of his responsibilities as the Chosen One. Everything had been so different then. It had only been two and a half years ago, but it felt like that time was another world. Another reality they had yet to breach.

As the teenage girl reviewed all that Chiro had told her last night, she couldn't help but think that he had _never_ said that Skeleton King had been destroyed. He never _really _told her what he had been doing these past few years. He never explained _why_ the team had split up. There was so much left out of his explanation, but the girl couldn't bring herself to question him about it. His eyes had made it perfectly clear it wasn't something he wished to talk about. It seemed painful to him to even tell her what he had.

The team was always so close... They always seemed to have each other's backs. It had to be something truly powerful, and emotionally scarring to break them apart like that. And for them to be avoiding _Chiro_ of all people... It was unbelievable. Even before she had stepped foot into the team, they had shared such an unbreakable bond.

Upon outside inspection, they seemed like any ordinary family (when you didn't count the fact they were five monkeys and a human, that is), but when one truly got to know them, they knew that their bond went deeper than even family ties. They were friends, family, warriors... They were tightly knit together in a way that Jinmay knew she would never be able to reach with anyone.

They were bound by destiny... They were bound by the Power Primate.

The Power Primate… It tied them together, and made it to where they could understand each other without using words. It seemed to her that none of them realized it – except maybe Antauri, and possibly Chiro – but it happened all the same. Jinmay had seen it numerous times throughout their battles with Skeleton King.

Like when Sprx _knew _that Gibson was in trouble - without the blue monkey having to make a sound, or the red one even having to turn around - and he just turned, and gave a shot at whatever was attacking the monkey. No words were ever needed in that situation. They just _knew_. Or when Nova was feeling down, but she didn't tell any one - or even act like it - and Otto knew exactly what she needed to feel better. It was amazing... It was something she sometimes envied.

The Power Primate seemed to favor the team more than the other wielders of the Power Primate she had come across in her journeys to find her past. The others seemed to only connect to it on a minimal level compared to what she was used to. They did not have the connection that the Team did, and she doubted that anyone ever would.

They were special. They were Chosen.

For some reason unknown to any but the Power Primate – and perhaps some select psychics – they had been chosen for a task greater than even stopping the Skeleton King. Jinmay hadn't puzzled out what yet, but she knew that Skeleton King was only the very tip of the iceberg, and more lurked beneath the water's surface. However, she knew that Antauri had yet to tell anyone what this 'greater destiny' was. Yet she knew that the others had guessed, much as she had. Something deeper was there. It was painfully obvious. But none of them had questioned it. None of them seemed to be afraid of the future, or what it might hold for them, as long as they were together, as a family, they didn't care about their future. Sure, they would complain, but it was obvious none of them would trade this life for anything.

Jinmay shook her head. The morning always had this affect on her - even more so then usual lately.

The girl stood. It was time to awaken Chiro. She put the picture up, not wanting to remind him of old memories. She did not want to awaken his scars. They seemed painfully fresh, even though the event had occurred within the first few months of their search, if she had understood correctly. She would have to open them eventually, though. She knew that, and she hated it.

* * *

Chiro stayed on Shuggazoom for a few days, unused to the non-nomadic life. He was trying not to adjust, knowing that any day now, he would have to go back to the nomadic traveling he had been doing... Only this time, he would have Jinmay at his side.

He did not go out into the city much for fear of being recognized. He did not want the city to find out about the team. He did not want them to doubt in their heroes. He wanted to avoid minimal contact with people - aside from Jinmay - so that Shuggazoom would continue to place faith in the heroes that had protected them for so long.

He did spar with Jinmay, though. Both parties held back demonstrating many of their new skills, not wanting to test the others limit. They did not speak of when they were to set off. They did not speak of the Team. They did not speak of their relationship status. They simply enjoyed one another's company, having missed the companionship of one who knew the other well.

Finally, Jinmay could stand it no longer. She had so many questions about what they were going to do and how they were going to do it! She needed to know when they were leaving, and she needed to know where they were going. She felt bad that she was going to question Chiro like this, but she _had to know_. It wasn't something that was optional to her. It just _wasn't_. If she was going to be a part of this, she didn't want to be kept in the dark. She didn't have to know _everything_. Just what was needed.

Hesitantly, the pink haired girl gently shook the still sleeping seventeen year old male. "Chiro… it's time to get up!" she said, trying to sound cheerful despite her anxiety over having to dredge up such painful memories for him later.

"Mm…" the boy groaned softly, rolling over and stuffing his head under his pillow. "Five more minutes..." he mumbled into the pillow.

She frowned at him. "Come on… It's time to get up!" She put her hands on her hips.

"M'up, m'up," the boy said sleepily, his eyes still shut tight.

"No you aren't," she sighed. She pulled the blankets off of him, taking the pillow off of his head so that the sun could alert him that it truly was time to get up.

"Go away…" the boy said pleadingly, a hand searching blindly for the blankets.

She sighed. "Chiro… breakfast is hot and waiting on the table. If you don't get up now, it _will_ be cold."

"Don't care." He had stopped searching for the blankets and his pillow and was now curled tightly into a ball.

Jinmay sighed. He was just so _frustrating _in the mornings. How had Antauri dealt with this? Oh, that's right. Chiro had gotten up most mornings then. Except Saturdays – Chiro always wanted to sleep in on Saturdays. And that was always okay with the team - unless Skeleton King attacked. Then it was less okay. However, today was certainly _not _Saturday.

Normally taking his blankets away did the trick. Mentioning that breakfast was waiting for him in the kitchen usually worked as well. However, today neither was working.

It was time for drastic measures.

She went down to the kitchen, and grabbed large cup. She filled it with ice cold water, and then marched back up to the bedroom.

"Chiro, I'm sorry," she said, though she didn't exactly _sound _sorry – nor did she really _feel_ sorry either. It was his fault for not getting up, after all. She turned the glass completely upside down, causing the cold water to splatter all over the young man, a few drops hitting her as well. She made sure it wasn't directly over his head so she didn't inadvertently drown him, but that it was still close enough that he would be awake.

The ice water most _definitely_ did the trick.

Chiro was on his feet in moments, fixing her with a glare. In his quickness to get away from the pouring water, he had gotten his head under the very water he wanted to avoid. His glare was now hidden by his soaked hair, which covered his eyes, nose, and the uppermost part of his mouth. Water dripped down his face, and he had to continuously lick the drips off of his lips, so his frown couldn't hold either. Water had also dampened his shoulder and his neck, so he also had to keep wiping it off with his hand so that it wouldn't start to itch.

In other words, despite his determination to hold his stern expression in place, he just couldn't.

Jinmay couldn't help it. She started laughing.

Chiro tried to hold the pitiful glare, but he eventually had to join her in her hysteric fit. He imagined he looked quite a sight. Soon, the two weren't even laughing at Chiro's funny sight, or his inability to hold a glare. It was more because they just looked so _funny_, red-faced, doubled over, and clutching their sides.

"I'm going to pay you back for that," he said pointedly, once the two had recovered from their fit of laughter, and he had swept his unruly hair from his face.

"No, you won't. You don't get up early enough," the girl told him, a grin on her face. "Now, let me get you a towel so we can eat... and besides, it was your fault for not getting up!" she said 'haughtily'.

"I'll get up early if it means revenge. And alright. After all that laughing, I'm starved!" The boy wisely chose to ignore that last comment, not wanting breakfast to be cold by the time they got done 'arguing'.

She rolled her eyes at him. "You couldn't get up early if your life depended on it... And you're _always_ hungry!"

"Could too!" he followed her as she left to get him a towel. "And I am not!"

"There is absolutely _no way_ you could get up earlier than me, Chiro. Admit it!" She ignored his response to her 'always hungry' comment.

"I can get up _just _as early as you can, Jinmay. I just _choose_ not to," he 'sniffed'.

She shook her head, tossing him a fluffy green towel. "If you say so Chiro. Now, come on. The food isn't going to stay hot forever."

"I wish," Chiro laughed.

Together, the two headed into the kitchen where breakfast was in fact on the table. It was still relatively warm, and the two ate before it could get any colder.

"Ready to spar?" she asked him.

"No… I need to do some meditating today. Maybe after lunch?"

"Alright," she nodded. After lunch was better anyway. She needed some time to think of how to approach Chiro about the Team in a way that didn't aggravate his scars more than necessary. She wanted to know, but she didn't want to hurt him. Emotionally, or physically.

This was going to be difficult. She could already tell.

* * *

**Tauria: **Next chapter shall be the confrontation Jinmay is so dreading! CX Hope you enjoyed!

**Chiro: **...Why do I need to do some meditating?

**Tauria: **-Cheshire Cat grin- You'll just have to see next chapter!

**Chiro: **...oh crap. Please leave a review!


	4. Flashback

**Tauria: **Umm... I had some troubles with the flashback in this one, so I might go back and fix it later.

**Chiro: **-shakes head-

**Tauria: **^.^

**Chiro: **Tauria does not own SRMT.

**QUICK NOTE:** I TOTALLY forgot to mention this, and I feel bad now! But I had this idea for a long time, but then after reading _Thanks for the Memories _by the Emerald Shapeshifter, I was finally able to write it down. Go read it, it's great! However, I mean no harm, and I do not mean to follow her plotline at all. There. Now that that is mentioned... Onto the story!

* * *

**Divided We Fall**

_Tauria_**  
**

**Flashback**_  
_

Chiro sat down on the floor, legs crossed and his eyes closed. He focused on calming his energies, and on the Power Primate. Allowing the calming force to soothe him, he searched for any clues for the next part of the journey. He was nervous about facing the team again, and he was nervous about what Skeleton King would do.

Yes, Skeleton King was still around. The Monkey Team had failed what they had set out to do.

All because of that _thing_.

To this day, Chiro did not know what it was. He had done everything he could to find out what it was, and yet no source he had checked yielded any information.

The worst thing about that day was what it had done to the team and he. Any bonds he shared with them had been cut. They had been erased. Chiro felt so... empty. So alone. He had never felt like this in all of his seventeen years. It was a horrible, horrible feeling, and the teenage boy despised it with all of his might.

However, reconnecting with Jinmay was one of the best decisions he had made so far. He felt less alone and more like he finally had someone he could talk to. The only thing was... How could he tell her that all the ties had been cut? How could he tell her that their Power Primate bond had been destroyed? How could he tell her it was possible they would never regain it? How could he tell her that Skeleton King still lived?

How could he tell her that he had failed the one thing he had promised he would do?

How could he tell her - how could he _disappoint _her - by telling her that Skeleton King was still around, and it was possible the team would not be together to face him? That it was possible they would not be able to protect the Universe as they had once did?

He had dreaded this moment since he had begun to head back towards Shuggazoom. He had dreaded this moment more then anything ever before.

Unfortunately, he had no time to dwell on these thoughts of uncertainty... these thoughts of doubt... these thoughts of failure. He needed to be in tip-top shape; physically, mentally, and emotionally. He needed to be ready to face the Skeleton King. He needed to be ready to face the Monkey Team.

He needed to be ready for everything that was going to come his way, because he didn't think that Skeleton King was the only villain anymore.

In fact, he _knew _that Skeleton King wasn't the only villain. During his travels strange beings had noticed him. Strange people in cloaked figures had spoken with him. It had been so weird, and yet... he had payed it no mind. He was busy training, in case they ever faced that beast again. He was busy taking advice from the Power Primate.

And now it was time to take advice from the Power Primate once more.

Looking deep within himself, the seventeen year old boy looked for the answer to his question.

_Is it time yet? _he asked in his mind, over and over again. Every time he had asked that in the past (well, since he got on Shuggazoom) he had received the answer, _**Not yet. Be patient.**_

But today, the Power Primate seemed unyielding. It seemed like it did not know the answer itself yet.

Finally, after what felt like _hours_, he was given a response.

_**Within the next few days, you will be given a sign. Heed it, Chiro. For it will tell you which monkey you must seek out... and where to find him or her. **_

_Alright. _

The boy stood, exiting meditation. He opened the door, only to come face to face with Jinmay, holding some tea in her hands. She blushed.

"I thought you might want something to drink," she smiled a bit.

He grinned. "Thanks. We need to talk." he gently took the tea from her hands.

She nodded. "I agree... I hope we're going to be talking about the same thing," she said cryptically.

Chiro took that to mean there was something she needed to speak with him about. He had sensed she needed to speak with him over the last few days, but he had waited for her to make the move herself, particularly since he sensed she felt nervous about speaking with him about it.

He had come to better understand why Antauri did not outright speak to him about things when he _knew _Chiro wanted to talk with him. He understood better a lot of things about how Antauri had been when they had all been a team.

They sat across from one another at the table in the kitchen. Jinmay drummed her fingers nervously against the side of her cup, as she took a relaxing gulp of the warm tea.

Chiro took a deep breath. "Okay... I did some prodding within the Power Primate to see if it was time to connect with the team or not. It isn't. I was told this: 'Within the next few days, you will be given a sign. Heed it, Chiro. For it will tell you which monkey you must seek out... and where to find him or her.' I don't really know what this means, but we should be on lookout for the next few days."

Jinmay nodded. "There are some things I'd like to talk to you about," the girl said nervously.

The Chosen One nodded, trying for all the world to look as inviting as possible. He didn't want her to be nervous. He knew that she needed to know whatever it was she was going to ask - and he had a sneaking feeling he knew what it was going to be.

"What _exactly_ happened that day?" she asked the boy, green eyes locking with his blue ones.

Chiro swallowed. _'Damn...' _

"I'll tell you," he assured her. "Just let me think of where to begin."

**o.o.o**

_Flashback_**  
**

_"Come on Team. Just one more sector, and we'll have him!" the boy said, with much more enthusiasm and confidence then he felt. _

_Sprx grit his teeth. "Kid, I don't know if the Robot can handle this kind of speed for too long!" _

_"It's engines weren't designed too... I haven't upgraded that part yet!" Otto added, trying to be helpful. _

_"I don't care right now... We have to stop the Skeleton King... So please, please Super Robot. Hold up a little longer." _

_They were speeding through a Hyper Space tunnel, and had been doing so at a much, much faster pace then normal. It was bone jarring. They were all holding on for dear life, and it was only thanks to Otto and Gibson's skills that the Robot hadn't fallen apart **already**. _

_They were almost caught up with the Citadel. They were almost caught up with the Skeleton King._

_It was almost time for them to defeat Skeleton King._

_**OoO**  
_

_They had caught up with Skeleton King, the Robot miraculously still intact. The team was a little worse for wear thanks to the ride, but they were alright. It was time for the final show down. It was time to fight against Skeleton King the way they were born too. _

_And then, the inner alarms went off. _

_"What's going on?" Nova cried, before her screen went black._

_"Nova?!" Sprx called worriedly, onyx eyes waiting for her screen to light back up. It didn't. Sprx's fell black to. _

_"Guys?" Otto called. His fell black after. _

_"Something's wrong!" Gibson shouted obviously, until his screen went black to. _

_"Antauri? What's going on?" Chiro was worried, and he was scared. This had not happened in a while. Antauri did not respond._

_His screen had gone dark as well. _

_Chiro was angered to find himself trembling. Looking around, he stayed tense for battle. _

_However, then, it stood before him. _

_It was dripping with black ooze, and made of bone. It's eyes glowed red, and it's teeth were longer and sharper then anything he had ever seen before. _

_It opened it's mighty jaws, and inhaled._

_**OoO**  
_

_"Chiro?!" _

_the boy woke to the sound of his voice. He looked around, and there was the team. The Robot was in a state of disarray. The team looked as if they had suffered a beating. There were claw marks in almost everything, and black ooze covered the floor. _

_"Guys?" he said softly, throat laced with pain. _

_They breathed sighs of relief. _

_"Are you alright?" Gibson asked the teen. _

_He nodded. _

_Then, that ooze-thing was back. It growled, fighting them._

_What happened next was all a blur for them all, but each of them was angry, all of them were hurt. They took their ships, and they abandoned the Robot. _

_Chiro had never felt worse, because he knew that whatever had happened was his fault. He knew that, because it was as obvious as daylight, yet the memory of what he had done was suppressed He didn't know, and part of him knew that he probably didn't want to. _

_Skeleton King had gotten away, again. __The creature had disappeared. I__f he didn't leave soon, he would suffocate in the Robot with it's waning life support. _

_"I'm sorry..." he whispered, hoping the Robot could hear him, and forgive him. _

_And he left as well, leaving the Robot hanging limply in space, tears in his sapphire eyes. He had just lost so many things he cared about. _

_His home._

_His family__._

_And something else was... different._

_It wasn't gone, but it had changed. _

_And he didn't know what it was. _

_End Flashback_

**OoO **

Jinmay reached out and grabbed his hand. "It's okay, Chiro. We'll get them back."

He offered the pink haired girl a small smile. "I wish I was as confident as you... I'm nervous, Jinmay. Very nervous."

"You'd be crazy not to be," she said softly. "But we'll get through this together."

He smiled at her.

She grinned. "Now, why don't you help me make lunch?"

"Gladly... And then we're sparring, right?"

"Right."

* * *

Mandarin stood above the city, looking out at where he _knew _the boy had returned. He knew as soon as the boy had entered the atmosphere that he was back.

What surprised him was the lack of monkeys. It was just Chiro, all alone. Antauri, Nova, Otto, Sprx, Gibson... not a single one of them was with him. It was slightly off putting.

But what bothered the orange monkey the most was _not _the lack of monkeys. It was not the fact that the teen seemed much more powerful then before. It was not the fact that the girl was having hard times trusting some of the things the boy said. It was not the boy's uncertainty. It was not _any _of that.

It was the fact that for some reason, he could not sense Chiro's Power Primate.

It was gone.

It wasn't there.

He had strained and strained, even ventured closer to the city. He had looked and looked and looked, and it just wasn't there.

It.

Was.

_Gone._

This made no sense to the skeleton monkey. He had never been so confused in his life when it came to the Power Primate - and the Power Primate confused him all the time!

The boy had the most powerful energies he'd ever encountered when it came to the mystical force.

So why the hell could he not sense his powers?

What in the Universe could be keeping it from him?

There was no way the boy could hide them - surely he was not that experienced.

And surely he could not have _lost _them.

He's definitely not _dead_!

...so what could be going on?

* * *

**Tauria: **Well... sorry it seems a bit rushed. I wanted to get through this chapter so I could get to the next one ^.^ (MONKEYZ!)

**Chiro: **WHOA WHOA WHOA! Where is the Power Primate?!

**Tauria: **...I was hoping you wouldn't catch that.

**Chiro: **-glares-

**Tauria: **heh, heh... You'll see?

**Chiro: **...please leave a review.


	5. A Warriors Fluff

**Tauria: **Hm... This chapter turned out differently then I expected. Which, I'm glad for. Until the end, I'm actually pretty proud of this chapter!

**Chiro: **-shakes head-

**Tauria: **There's lots of fluff XD

**Chiro: **Tauria does not own SRMT, and she would like to thank grungekitty for her help with this idea!

* * *

**Divided We Fall**

_Tauria_

**A Warriors Fluff**

Pink eyes opened, staring up at the ceiling.A yawn had them closed for a moment before the golden warrior sat up, and stretched. It took her a moment to remember where she was, as her dreams had taken her to a place she had not been to in two years.

"Good morning," she whispered to the picture frame at her bedside. She brushed her fingertips lightly against the person - monkey - within the picture, and smiled.

Once she had regained her bearings, she stood, padding softly over to the bathroom where she splashed a bit of water on her face to help wash the sleepiness away. She also used mouthwash to get rid of the taste in her mouth that developed as she slept.

After preforming the necessary tasks to get ready for work (i.e combing her fur) the yellow female went over to where a bag had haphazardly tossed onto a desk. Opening it up, she sorted through it all, making sure she had everything she needed. After decided that she did, the female monkey placed it on her shoulder and walked over to the bedside table.

Picking up a pretty ring - one she hated to take off every night, but she'd hate it even more if it got lost as she slept - she placed it on her left hand's ring finger, smiling at it for a moment. A few years ago, the mere sight of such a ring would make her shudder. After all, how could this happen to her when the Universe needed protecting? How could she do what this ring symbolized and put their lives in danger? How could she stop training? How could she lose sight of her purpose?

But she no longer believed those thoughts, for she had found something - no, someone - who made her stronger when they were together.

She exited her bedroom, heading into a pleasant kitchen. She made something quick for breakfast - even though she hadn't burnt something in over a year, the warrior was still not to keen on cooking - and ate it. She grabbed a fresh water bottle, and slipped it into the bag.

She then turned and headed out the door, wondering if today would be the day that she had been looking forward too - yet dreading - for so long. Leaving her home she entered out into the beautiful world that was Galaxia. It was _beautiful _now that Skeleton King's curse had been removed.

Flowers bloomed in bright colors, and the trees were greener then ever, with thick canopy's stretching out far above their heads. The branches in some parts were so big that they looked more like bridges then branches. In fact, some had been made into bridges. Some branches nestled houses deep within them. It was a pretty sight to see as she headed towards the dojo in which she worked, and it often cured her bad moods or sadness so she wasn't ill tempered towards her co-workers and recruits.

The yellow monkey had been training new recruits for the Galaxian army. It was a job that took a bit - especially when the new recruits had never had her before, and thought they could get away with stupid things in her class - but it was very rewarding, and she had made some good friends in her students and fellow teachers.

She entered the office of her former master, who was now her employer/boss. "Master Offay?" she said softly.

The muscled man turned around to face his former pupil, a smile on his face. "Yes, Nova?"

She swallowed nervously. She asked this question every morning, and you'd think she'd have gotten over her nervousness about asking. "Are they coming home yet?"

He grinned wider. "Actually... They're on their way. And a certain someone asked if you would speak with him when you got up. You are welcome to use my personal comm unit, as I suspect it will be a rather personal conversation."

Nova's eyes lit up. "Thank you!"

"It's no problem. I will go inform your class you're going to be late this morning."

The golden female nodded, already typing the number she had long since memorized.

As she did, she remembered that night a year and a half ago that she considered one of the best nights of her life...

_Flashback_

_Stars twinkled like little diamonds against a black back drop, as the full moon made everything look mystical and wondrous. The night was silent and still... Until the laughter of two monkeys broke the silence. The red monkey was gently tugging the yellow female behind him, obviously having some sort of a destination in mind. He had a basket on the other elbow, indicating the two were going for a midnight picnic. _

_"Sprx! Where are we going!" the female asked, laughing. _

_"You'll see!" the red monkey grinned. _

_She sighed softly, though her smile remained. "But I want to know now!" she 'whined'. _

_"We're almost there."_

_"Really? Where is 'there'?"_

_"Your surprise." _

_She laughed. _

_"Alrighty. Just step through there."_

_Sprx looked awful proud of himself, but Nova stepped through anyway. What she saw took her breath away. It was gorgeous... A waterfall was cascading down the side of a tall mountain, into a cold, clear pond. Flowers decorated the field gorgeously. She glanced at Sprx._

_"How did you find this place?" _

_"I was flying around with the others, and I over shot one of the dives we had to do. When I was heading back, I glanced down and saw this place. After that, I remembered where it was and what it looked like, and I found my way back." _

_She smiled at him. He set up a picnic spot near the water, close enough to see the reflective surface make the sky look like it was on the ground. He handed her a plate of food, and they spent the next part of their date talking and eating and laughing. _

_Then, Sprx grinned over at Nova. "Ready for the surprise part of your surprise?" he asked her._

_She looked at him, confusion in her pink eyes. _

_He grinned, and had her stand. "Close your eyes."_

_She did, wondering what was going on. Never in a million years did she expect what happened next. Never in a million years could she have imagined such a scene, with such a monkey. _

_"You can open them," he whispered, trying not to sound nervous. _

_She did. _

_Sprx was before her, down one knee, an open ring box in his hand. Within the box was a ring. The band was simple. It was gold, and it was pretty. The jewel... It was gorgeous. Nova wasn't sure what it was made out of, but it was beautiful. It was cut in the shape of a heart, half of it red, and the other half yellow. _

_"Nova... We've spent almost all of our lives together. Maybe not together as a couple, but as friends. We've been there through each other through thick and thin, and I... Well, I told you I've always been in love with you. Since the day I remember laying eyes on you. Even before that, if the Alchemist's vids are anything to go on! What I'm trying to say is..." he swallowed. "Will you marry me?"_

_Nova felt something wet slip down her cheeks, and her eyes had clouded. She was touched. Really, she was. He had brought her out to this place, made them a great meal, and now he was down on one knee, holding one of the most beautiful rings she had ever seen in her life, asking her to marry him! _

_How could she refuse? _

_Not that she even wanted too... _

_"Yes, Sprx. I will marry you," she smiled, liking the way the phrase sounded on her lips. _

_He slipped the ring on, and kissed her._

_Nova intertwined their tails, kissing back. _

_End Flashback_

After that, they had decided the wedding could wait until Galaxia had been restored. They had done some planning (and Nova had looked up dresses and cakes as she dreamed about her wedding day) but were waiting until Galaxia was back on it's metaphorical feet. Thanks to the curse that Skeleton King had placed on the planet, their army had dwindled down quite a bit, and it took a while for everyone to return to normal.

It had been explained to Sprx and Nova that after the Worm was destroyed, the planet had begun to return to normal. Now that everything was alright again, they were building the army back up, in case disaster was ever to befall the planet.

Sprx was training some of the people to be fighter pilots. Two months ago, they had left to get some target practice on the desert planet of Erimos. The cities on this planet were constantly getting attacked by the dangerous monsters that lived in the desert, and so they welcomed training missions such as this.

Sprx had told her the agenda, and that he would be back once they had gotten the hang of it. They were going to practice hitting their targets, and avoiding obstacles. They were going to practice camouflage and finding out what was there by using their scanners. They were going to practice repairing their ships, and what to do when they crashed (which meant he was also teaching ground fighting).

Nova constantly worried for the red monkey, since she knew how dangerous these monsters could be. Maybe not by firsthand experience, but she knew plenty of people who had died thanks to those things. However, every time she had spoken with him, he had been okay.

She completed the dial sequence, and met face to face with one of Sprx's students.

"Hiya, Nova!" the cheerful human smiled at her.

"Hello Chase... Where's your instructor?"

"Ah, don't worry 'bout your fiance'! He's in the shower... said something about the dust aggravating his fur. He'll be out soon though... the twins decided to screw with the water again, which means it ought to be getting pretty cold soon..."

Nova laughed. "Again?"

"Yeah..."

"Poor Sparky."

"ALEX! ALLIE!" Sprx's voice came in loud and clear as the water was shut off, and a soaked Sprx stood, fire in his eyes.

"Mornin' boss!" Chase said enthusiastically. "I'll grab them for you... You got someone who wants to talk to ya!"

Sprx grinned as he saw Nova's face on the comm unit. "Novs!"

Chase exited the building as Sprx took a seat before the vid comm. "Sorry about that... Ever since I told 'em we're leaving tomorrow, they've been rambunctious as ever."

"It's no big deal... I know someone else who would have been pulling pranks on his instructor," she grinned.

Sprx laughed, using a towel to ring out his fur. "That's true... Very true. How're things?"

"They're alright. The recruits are shaping up nicely. You?"

"Everyone passed the test - I was surprised. Especially since a lot of 'em didn't do so hot during training."

"It was probably the fact that it's the test, and so they wanted to do better on it then the actual training," she laughed. "How's your stay?"

"It was nice... They've got some great food, so long as you don't ask what's in it. The people here are pretty friendly to us, but I think that's cause their city hasn't been attacked half as much lately. However, it's too dusty 'round here for me. The sand is always stickin' to my fur, and making me itchy and uncomfortable. How's Galaxia treatin' you?"

"Just fine... I'm a bit lonely though, since you're not here. I mean who else is going to make dumb jokes about my cooking while we eat!" she laughed.

Sprx grinned. A few years ago, Nova _never _would have said she missed him... At least, not out right like that. Ever since the two had come clean about their feelings, they had felt a whole lot lighter. Neither of them had to keep up the facade of 'I don't care' any more.

"Well, we're leaving tomorrow, and as long as all goes well, we'll be back the day after we leave."

"I look forward to it." she smiled.

There was silence between the two for a bit, but it was a comfortable sort of silence.

"Galaxia back on it's feet yet?" Sprx asked suddenly, smirking.

She grinned. "Just about, I'd say. I think we should probably do a bit more planning and shopping when you get back."

"I look forward to it, babe."

"Good. Well... I better go before my class decides to take training into their own hands."

Sprx laughed. "Me too. Bye Novs."

"See ya Sprx."

The two hung up.

Sprx turned to where Chase had brought in Alex and Allie.

"Really guys? I mean, really?"

They gave sheepish smiles. "C'mon! It was funny!"

"I was _bathing_!"

"Yeah, but if we hadn't done that you wouldn't have gotten to talk to your _fiance'," _Allie told him, smirking.

Sprx paused. That was true... Dammit, he hated how he couldn't be strict with these kids! Or anyone, really. It just wasn't his style. He was a laid back kind of monkey. Had Nova been here... Well, if Nova was here, they wouldn't have done it. "Fine. You're off the hook... This time."

The twins cheered, leaving to go cause mayhem somewhere else.

"Chase, they are going to be the death of me," he told his student.

Chase was Sprx's right hand man. He had been helping him out since the day they arrived. He was a trustworthy sort.

He grinned. "Aw, c'mon. They're not that bad... Just... wild."

"That's a mild way of putting it," the red monkey said dryly.

Chase grinned, as a small explosion was heard a few rooms down.

"Don't tell me... It was Ray again, wasn't it?" the red monkey groaned.

"Probably."

Today was going to be an interesting day, to say the least. He hoped Nova fared better then himself.

* * *

Chiro had finally received that sign he had been informed about, and was headed for his first destination... Galaxia. He was going to reunite with who he guessed was Nova and Sprx. He couldn't deny his stomach churned with excitement and nervousness.

Jinmay was happy as well. She had missed Nova and Sprx - she had missed them all. She looked forward to getting to see them again.

Together, the two had packed his small ship with the necessities before heading towards Galaxia.

The trip would take three days, as his ship wasn't exactly the fastest thing around, and the two had wanted to make sure they got everything they needed.

It was almost time to set off.

"Are you sure you're ready for this, Chiro?" Jinmay asked the boy.

"I'm sure," he nodded firmly. "I need to do this... I'm ready."

She kissed his cheek, chuckling as he turned red yet again. "Alright, then. I hope everything goes well," she said softly, buckling up.

"It will." Chiro assured her.

She smiled at him. "Let's go."_  
_

He grinned, taking off.

The trip took a week, much longer then they had expected. Luckily, they had packed more then necessary. They had forgotten to account for the fact they needed to stop for fuel every once and a while. Now it was finally time for the first reunion. The first meeting Chiro would have with his family since the day they had separated.

Chiro couldn't deny his nervousness. He couldn't deny that he was out of his element here. He had been training since the day he had left in order to face that monster again, but he had not trained in preparation of meeting the team again. After all, how could you train for that? Was there even a way to train for that?

Chiro didn't know. All he knew was his stomach was churning even more then it had been the day he had set off. He had not been able to sleep thanks to the excitement, and now that had all died down. He was tired, and he was nervous, but he was going to go through with this.

Thank goodness he had Jinmay.

* * *

**Tauria: **Yeah, sorry about the last part with Chiro and Jinmay being a bit weak. I was actually going to try and fit the other monkeys in here, but decided to wait. The Spova part took a bit longer then expected, but... ^.^ Anyways, the next chapter might be the confrontation between the two, but then again, I might put it off XD It just depends.

**Chiro: **-shakes head-

**Tauria: **Hope you enjoyed it! Oh, and by the way... No, I don't know what's up with the title. I was going to call it 'Engaged' but I have plans for that title, or something like it. If anyone else can come up with a better title, let me know! XD

**Chiro: **Please leave a review!


	6. Strange Feelings and a Deadline

**Tauria: **Whew! I've been gone for a while, haven't I? ^.^' Sorry about that everybody, but I've been doing NaNoWriMo (national novel writing month) and it took all the words out of me for a bit lolz. However, I'm back! And hopefully, I'll go on some sort of updating kick for the next couple days :3

**Chiro: **You totally just jinxed yourself.

**Tauria: **...yeah, you're probably right. Oh well! Hope you like the chapter!

**Chiro: **Tauria does not own SRMT!

* * *

**Divided We Fall**

_Tauria_

**Strange Feelings and a Deadline**

It wasn't hard for the two teenagers in search of the lost members of their team to locate Sprx and Nova. Really, one look at the two and the citizens of the city that they had landed near knew exactly who they were looking for (okay, maybe not really, but still). They were given directions and then they headed for them.

Chiro's stomach was twisted in knots. What if Sprx and Nova didn't want to rejoin the team? What if they had come here for nothing? What if they were happily settled down and couldn't come with them?

…what if the Hyper Force was no more?

His mind was clouded with doubts, and it made him dread the inevitable meeting all the more. He wanted the day to arrive sooner, just to see what would happen… yet he also wanted the day to be put off for as long as possible.

It didn't help that Jinmay was so silent through this whole thing; it didn't help that she kept throwing him side-glances, green eyes full of worry. Couldn't she just say something? Chiro was just growing more and more anxious with all of the silence.

His mouth was full of metallic tasting bile, and his stomach twisted into tighter knots each day. He was tensed and stressed out, and the slightest noise made him jumpy. He hated all of this waiting; all of this time to come up with yet another scenario of how things could go wrong.

"Chiro, you need to relax," Jinmay finally said. She had hoped that the boy would learn this on his own and try to meditate for some peace, but apparently, he hadn't clued himself in on that yet. "You're doing yourself no good stressing yourself out like this, and you're driving me nuts. Your paranoia has me on edge. What happened to mister calm-and-collected, hm?"

He glanced at her out of his peripheral vision. "I suppose your right, but I can't help it. All of this waiting is making me anxious, and I keep imagining all of the ways that this could go wrong… I keep imagining all of the ways that they might reject coming back to the team, and from there, all of the others! It's driving me insane…"

Jinmay chuckled, and reached out a hand to ruffle the spiky black hair. "Y'know, for someone who's saved the world a few hundred times, you sure don't have that confidence I've seen on the battlefield. I know that these last two years have been rough for you, Chiro, but you really need to relax. If they reject you, then they're forgetting year's worth of camaraderie and respect; they're forgetting all of the things that you've achieved over the years. If you ask me, I don't think that any of them are going to not pick up the chance to be one of the Hyper Force again. Maybe they'll reject you at first, but eventually they'll come around. You just gotta keep up faith."

He gave Jinmay a large smile. "When did you go a philosophical on me, Jinmay?"

She kissed his cheek, turning either side of his face a deep crimson. "Since someone had to reassure the citizens, silly. Now, relax. Go meditate if you have too, but wind down a bit. We'll be at the city where Nova and Sprx are before you know it."

He nodded, suddenly wondering how much everyone he had known two years ago could have grown up while he was gone. Things had changed; they had changed without him noticing, and not just because he wasn't there.

A strange feeling crept up him… It was something he had felt once, long ago, though this was something much stronger. It was the feeling of a lull – like something large was going to happen sometime soon…

He knew this warning. He had felt it constantly during the War between the Living and the Dead. He had felt it before that… he had felt it a lot during the times with the Worm as well. It was a prickle on the skin, a sign that something just wasn't right.

He licked his lips in nervousness.

He now had a deadline.

* * *

Sprx and Nova were sitting in their living room, making plans for their upcoming wedding. They were going about everything slowly (much to Sprx's chagrin) in order to make sure that everything was perfect.

The red pilot was letting Nova do most of the planning; he wanted this wedding to be something she'd enjoy. He didn't mind much, so long as she was happy. However, he often made little inputs and suggestions here and there, mostly at her insistence.

Together, the two monkeys had given themselves a budget (with some help from Offay) and were now working off it. Sprx was surprised at Nova's vast knowledge of weddings, but supposed he had given her enough time to do some research on her own.

One of the few drawbacks to all this planning, though, was that they weren't going to get to actually enjoy their wedding for a while. Though Galaxia was quite a bit further in its progress then they had thought it would be by now, the planet and its people still had a little ways to go before it could stand on its own. There were still things that had to be done before they could enjoy the sound of wedding bells.

However, the two monkeys had set a final date. Unless there was some life-threatening issue happening, they'd be married on that day whether the planet was fully standing again or not. They were both tired of waiting.

Suddenly, a strange feeling crept over the red monkey. He had felt this feeling many times in the past; though not within the past few days he had been home. It was an old instinct; one he relied upon in desperate times.

"Novs?"

"Mm?" the yellow monkey looked up from where she had been scribbling design ideas furiously across the page.

"Do you feel like we're in some sort of calm before a storm too?" he frowned. "Because for the past two years… everything has been too calm; too quiet."

The yellow warrior frowned in thought. Sprx was right. They had never destroyed the Skeleton King, so why had he not come after them? Why had he not gone straight to Shuggazoom? Why had the others not bothered to ban together again? Why had she not stopped to consider this in the past? Why, why, why? "You're right Sprx… things have been rather, er, dull in the past few years…"

"Something really bad is going to happen eventually. I can feel it."

Though Nova ached to admit it, the pilot was right. She had hoped this peace would last forever…

"Well, regardless of all that, we have a wedding to plan," Nova said firmly. "No matter what is destined for us in the future, we're going to get married, Sprx. Let's keep moving like nothing will change about out lives right now."

Sprx nodded in agreement. This was happiness; he wasn't about to let himself ruin it.

Neither monkey could shake the strange feeling that had crept on their fur though…

* * *

**Tauria: **I know this update was a lot shorter then usual, but I do have part of the next chapter written already! By the way, I did get a computer during the start of November, but it - alas! - has no Internet. Therefore, I have to transport documents between there and my moms computer until we can get something that will give the computer (slow) Internet XD I'm just glad I can type after mom kicks us out... Anyways, hope you liked this chapter!

**Chiro: **...did you really have to be so cryptic about what you're planning?

**Tauria: **...duh?

**Chiro: **-glares at Tauria- Please leave a review!


	7. Previous Engagements

**Divided We Fall**

_Tauria_

**Previous Engagements **

_5 Days Before Chiro and Jinmay Arrive in Town_

"Nova, are you _sure_ this is necessary?" the red monkey asked the golden female. They had spent the last _hour_ searching for the right type of flowers for the bouquets. And the previous _two_ hours before that were spent figuring out a date!

"_Yes,_ Sprx," the female said, somewhat exasperatedly. "I have to have a bouquet, and so do the other girls in the wedding. Plus, there are the flowered decorations."

The red monkey sighed. Nova went about wedding shopping like she did everything else - the absolute determination to get it _just_ right. It was frustrating, but it was also one of the many qualities about Nova he admired.

The two monkeys suited each other. Nova was determined and headstrong; Sprx was determined and only head strong when he needed to be. Nova could be pretty strict; Sprx was laid-back. Nova angered easily; Sprx was better at controlling his temper... if not his mouth. They balanced one another out, with a mix of opposites and similarities... and that was what made them perfectly compatible.

However, did she _really_ have to be so picky?

Finally, after what seemed like _forever_, Nova finished with the flowers. Sprx would almost swear she had personalized each and every bouquet.

Though they were shopping (of a sort), the two weren't buying anything yet. They were making the necessary plans, so that later they could go back and make sure it fit the budget they had (even though they were being funded, the two had still agreed to budget it) as well as making sure they had a nice scheme going.

The only thing Sprx would be willing to buy that day was Nova's wedding dress, and his tux. The pilot really didn't want to be forced in a tux, but this was a special occasion. And so he would do it. But he'd complain until the wedding started... though not to his fiancé, of course.

"Where to next?"

"Cakes," his fiancé grinned.

Sprx grinned. Now here was something he would participate in - he had to eat it, after all. "Do we get taste testing?" he joked.

"I don't think so," she laughed.

Together they entered the cake shop. Sprx took a large inhale of the smell, and grinned. Together, the two monkeys found the book labeled 'Wedding Cakes' and started looking through it. Sprx found several that looked appetizing, and after they'd narrowed it down to 3-5 choices, they left there too.

"And now?" the red monkey asked.

"We find a location," she informed him.

"Which means walking around outside first?"

"Let's check the inside buildings first, so then we can walk around without feeling rushed," she smiled at him.

"Okay." he agreed.

Man, no matter how long they were together, the red monkey didn't think he'd ever get used to the fact he and Nova were _together_. He was still getting used to being able to grab her hand or intertwine their tails without getting hit for it... or being able to kiss her. He was also still in shock he'd gotten the gall to propose!

That had taken forever though...

After scoping out all the indoor places to hold their wedding, the red and yellow monkeys walked around outside, finding all the nice spots for a wedding.

"You know... Holding it outside would save money having to rent a place," Sprx remarked casually.

"I think you just want an outdoor wedding," Nova laughed.

He nodded sheepishly. "Yeah... Red and yellow looks better under the sun," he pointed.

"I want an outdoor wedding too," she smiled at him. "So if it doesn't rain..."

"Cool." he grinned.

* * *

_The Day Chiro and Jinmay Arrive in Town_

Within the past four days, all of the details of the wedding had been worked out. All that was left was to actually make the purchases... and of course, Sprx was still trying to pick the perfect honeymoon location. Nova was making calls to figure out how much it would cost to have the wedding on the specific dates they had picked out.

"...hey Novs?"

"Mm?" the yellow simian looked up from where she had been dialing the number.

"D'ya think we should invite...them?" he asked quietly. He had avoided bringing it up for the past four days, but he knew they had to face it sometime. After all, it would soon be time to write the invitations!

Nova swallowed. She licked her lips."I don't know Sprx. It's been so long... and... I don't even know where they are... and... I don't even really remember why we separated. It's become so hazy now. And what if... what if inviting them to the wedding just... just... I don't know..."

Sprx nodded, taking Nova's hand. "We don't have to... I just thought it would be a good gesture. Y'know, if they come, they come... If they don't, then don't worry about it anymore."

She gave a small smile.

"And they wouldn't be hard to find. Searching 'cybernetic monkeys in the known universe' should relay everything we need to know."

"And Chiro?"

"...I don't know. I suppose once we found Antauri - if he was willing to come - he could find him for us."

"...I'm not sure I want any of them to come," Nova admitted. "I just... don't know why."

"Me neither," the red monkey shrugged. "But... I'm willing to give them a second chance if you are."

She bit her lip.

Before she could respond, there was a knock on the door. Sprx stood and answered it.

"Hi," Chiro greeted nervously.

Sprx narrowed his eyes. "What do _you_ want?"

"Just to talk," Jinnay said softly, stepping out from behind Chiro.

Sprx nodded, though Chiro figured it was just because of Jinmay being there. The crimson monkey stepped aside, allowing the two teenagers entrance.

They stepped inside and he guided them to where Nova was sitting. He took a seat next to her, holding her hand and wrapping his tail around her. Jinmay sat across from them, in the recliner. Chiro decided to stand.

"Well, what do you want?" Sprx asked, albeit a bit more harshly then intended.

Chiro bit his lip nervously, and Jinmay suppressed a roll of her eyes.

"We came to talk about the last two years."

Both monkeys narrowed their eyes, and gripped the other's hand tighter.

Chiro sighed. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I don't really remember much about what happened during that day. I don't know what went on, only that for some reason, I carry some sort of... resentment, towards the rest of you.

Nova bit her lip, looking down for a moment. "So do we," she whispered.

He nodded. "I expected as much. Anyway, so for the last few years, I've been training. Lately though..." he stared off into the distance, eyes not really focusing on anything. "Lately I've been getting weird feelings from the Power Primate. I don't know what a lot of them mean, only that some disaster is coming... One only the-"

"Hyper Force can prevent," Sprx finished. "Yeah, we were fed that load of crap when we first got together. I highly doubt it. I'm sure you – as the _Chosen One_ – can do it without the rest of us."

"No, Sprx. This is something that only the six of us _together_ can stop," Chiro said softly.

"You seem to have done fine on your own so far," the red monkey glared.

"...I haven't!" Chiro protested. "The only reason I've gotten this far is because of your training!"

"Pssh, whatever Kid!"

Chiro glared.

"Besides," Nova butted in, before the boys attempted murder, "Sprx and I have things we need to do..."

"Like?" Jinmay smiled.

"Well, for one thing, we're kind of part of the Galaxian Army. Not only did we help them get back in their feet –though that's still in progress – we also helped them form an army of their own," Nova explained.

"Mm... There's something else, isn't there?"

Nova nodded.

(**A/N I am totally tempted to have Chiro shout 'YOU'RE PREGNANT?!'... But I won't xD) **

Jinmay waited.

The boys were half paying attention, still locked in a staring contest.

Nova wordlessly held up her hand, letting the light catch the ring on her finger.

Chiro decided to lose the contest. "Holy- Congratulations, Sprx and Nova!"

Jinmay giggled. "Yes, congrats! Have you started planning?"

Nova nodded. "Which is another reason we don't want to leave... Previous engagements, y'know?"

The teens smiled a bit at the pun, but soon became serious again.

Suddenly, the sapphire part of Chiro's eyes took in a slightly freaky green glow.

* * *

_Vision _

_The Skeleton King laughed wickedly, looking above the planets he had conquered. The Hyper Force stood there as well, but not against him... _

_The monkeys teeth had grown into fangs, and their pupils pointed. Their fingers had claws on the end of them, and their pupils had a red tinge to them. Their tails and backs had spikes, and they looked positively malicious. _

_Chiro also stood at Skeleton King's side, smirking. A bone crown on his head, and formerly blue eyes had turned red. A scepter much like Skeleton Kings rested in his palm, and he looked delighted at the destruction. _

_"**Beware what will come if they do not join you**..." the voice Chiro associated with the Power Primate spoke. _

* * *

Chiro's eyes turned to normal, and the boy gasped for air, kneeling down.

Sprx and Nova recalled when Mandarin had moments like this – it was not long before he betrayed them.

Chiro looked up at them, fear in his eyes. "We must stop him..." He whispered, and promptly passed out.

* * *

**Tauria**: Phew! That was a pain to type on my phone! Please let me know of any mistakes... My phone likes to change even words that are _correctly_ spelled.

Since this has been typed on my phone, only one authors note :3

Anyway, I'm probably going to change the vision (I'm not too happy with it) but for the most part, I'm pretty proud of this chapter! Originally, it was longer, by the way, but I decided to move that to next chapter.

Hope you enjoyed it! Please leave a review!


	8. Professors and Decisions

**Tauria: **Yeah... I know it's been a while... Almost a month... (tomorrow would be the month mark, actually). December was a bit of a busy month. Since it was Winter Break for what seems like most of the month (I have no idea if it actually is), I was babysitting for the majority of that time. Then it was Christmas. More babysitting. Then it was New Years. Can't really say it's been busy since the day after New Years... I've been lazy!

Well, not lazy. Productive with other fics, I suppose you could say. (the majority of January so far was spent typing a 12,000+ one-shot about Gyrus Krinkle... and doing math work) But anyways, I finally planted myself in the chair, opened up the document, and wrote the newest chapter for DWF.

We finally get to see Gibson in this fic! Yay! W get to find out Nova and Sprx's decision too, and if I say anymore, I'll give away the chapter! So, please enjoy the newest installment of DWF.

**Disclaimer: **SRMT is not mine. I'm pretty sure the plot is mostly mine. Maybe. Hard to tell.

**EDIT: I changed some stuff in Gibson's part. **

* * *

**Divided We Fall**

_Tauria__  
_

**Professors and Decisions  
**

The blue monkey woke at 6AM sharp, as he did every morning. He yawned, rolling over to turn the alarm off before rubbing his eyes and sitting up. He stretched, letting out another yawn before beginning his morning routine. He grabbed a coat that had been hung neatly by his bedroom door, and picked up a stack of folders resting on his desk. He carried both items downstairs, into the living room, and placed them neatly on the couch.

He stepped outside and walked over to where the newspaper rested, neatly folded. He picked it up, and then went back inside. Once inside, the scientist walked into his kitchen. He placed the newspaper on the table, and made coffee and toast. Once the two pieces of toast were done, he put just the right amount of jelly on them both, and sat them on the table beside the newspaper. The coffee was done next, and a little bit of sugar was added, but he left it black.

As he drank and ate, he skimmed through the news articles, wondering if there was anything of interest. Nothing sparked his eye, and so the scientist found he had nothing better to do then think.

Nothing was worse than thinking for the blue monkey. You would think that since science was one of the few things he was passionate about, the primate would like nothing more than to think. And he did! When it concerned complex equations and drawn out experiments and writing down hypotheses and answering difficult questions… but not when he was just thinking.

Unfortunately for him, when he first woke in the morning, two cups of coffee were required before he could think about anything remotely scholarly. For he was not just a scientist. No, he enjoyed math, literature, linguistics, etc.. Granted, he wasn't as much of an expert in those areas, but… regardless, he enjoyed them.

And since he could think of none of those pleasant subjects (being only on his first cup of coffee), he was forced to think upon something else.

Trying to start down a pleasant road, the simian thought about how soon he would be headed to the University that he worked at to begin a new year of working with students ready to study chemistry, and how he would be working after school to tutor in all types of science.

_I will be glad to get back to work… Vacations last far too long. But at least I got some valuable research and experimentation time in. It's been far too long since I had some time to work in a lab without teaching others…_

However, he could remember a time in which he was constantly working in a lab. He could remember a time when he only had one student. He could remember a time when he was surrounded by noise, and constant breaks in a routine so that the only thing that was routine was the things that shattered it.

He shook his head, as if to shake those thoughts from his mind. He took a particularly long swig of coffee, barely reacting as the hot liquid burned his mouth. Those were thoughts he did not wish to dwell on, and those were the thoughts that snuck back into his head the moment he was not paying attention.

Swallowing the last of his first cup of coffee, he filled a to-go coffee cup with his second cup. He'd rather not drink the University's coffee. Yuck. That stuff tasted more like sludge then actual coffee, and thanks to his past life, the blue monkey knew a bit about what sludge tasted like.

He frowned. Again already? Normally there was more time in between those nasty thoughts. Oh well. A bit of work would clear it all right up. He pulled on the long trench coat (or at least it was a trench coat for a monkey) and grabbed the folders. He walked out to his hover car.

He placed the folders in the passenger seat, and the coffee cup in the cup holder. He began to drive. He didn't live too far from the University, but it was still quite a distance, and his rocket pack was low on fuel. He really needed to get the ingredients for that new fuel he was working on… the old fuel ran out far too quick for the monkey's tastes. It hadn't once upon a time, but those thoughts lead into dangerous territory.

He reached the University by seven. Luckily for him, his class didn't start till eight. He still had plenty of time to walk to his classroom and prepare for the day.

"Professor Hal!" he was joined by an older woman, with laugh lines around her eyes and mouth. Her hair was still mostly brown, but streaks of gray ran continuously throughout it. "Good morning," she smiled politely.

"Morning, Professor Amelia," the blue monkey smiled at her. She taught some type of a literature class. The name escaped him at the moment. **(because I know next-to-nothing about the classes offered at universities…)**.

The two walked in companionable silence for the most part. Neither really cared for large crowds of people (well, unless they were attending a lecture or lecturing… then large crowds were quite welcome) and so they often walked together in the mornings, since for some odd reason, the science and literature classrooms were very near each other.

As they were walking to their respective classrooms, Amelia gave a slight smile in Hal's direction.

"Have any more of those nightmares?" she asked softly.

Amelia was the only person at the University he had trusted with his past - though he had not told her all of it. He told her that it plagued him with nightmares, and occasionally random thoughts. He told her that people he was very close to had hurt him very badly, though he never said what or why, and the woman did not pry. They were good friends, and he was glad that they had met.

"Not recently," Hal responded, feeling elated he could say that. The nightmares that had plagued him since the… incident… had left him alone for approximately one week, making the scientist extremely happy.

"That's wonderful! We should celebrate when school's over," the older woman grinned.

"And how do you propose we celebrate?" Hal arched an eyeridge in question.

"How about we go out for dinner tonight? Me, you, and my husband." she suggested.

"That sounds delightful," Hal laughed. And it did. It had been a long time since he had enjoyed dinner with friends...

He frowned a bit. Again? Already? What was this? The next thing you know, his old friends were going to show up around the nearest corner!

He lightly shook his head. Now wasn't the time to be bothered with that. He was going out tonight with two people who had helped him during his time of need (they had allowed him to stay in their guest bedroom until he had found somewhere to live).

Amelia fixed him with a perplexed look. "Are you alright?"

"The nightmares haven't plagued me… but today… I've already had three thoughts about them. Three. Within the space of two hours," Hal whispered. "Something… something must be happening." Thinking aloud, he was truthfully only talking to himself, but she heard anyway.

Amelia frowned. "What do you think is happening?"

The blue simian shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Whatever is going on, I refuse to be apart of it." Then he smiled. "Back to dinner. Where should we go?"

"Hmm… there's that nice little Romaily place," she suggested.

Hal nodded. "Sounds good to me," he smiled at her.

"Good! See you there."

Hal nodded, and then the two split at the fork in their path. He hummed a cheerful tune as he unlocked his classroom door and headed over to his desk.

As he organized his folders, and made sure his desk was in order, Hal started paying a bit more attention to the tune he was humming. Something was a bit off about it...

He frowned again.

This was getting to be quite disconcerting. Having so many little thoughts in the course of one morning about times he had long ago put behind him was just a little off-putting for the monkey.

_Just focus on class, and keep reminding yourself about celebrating 'no nightmares' tonight. Everything will blow over. Today just happens to be a bit of an off day... _

Hal sighed. Today was going to be a _long_ day.

**-o-**

By that evening, Hal had decided that the Power Primate was an extremely annoying mystical force. It had pushed memories, thoughts, and names to his mind and the tip of his tongue all day that day, and he was getting sick of it.

Unlike many people, he did not resent the Power Primate's control over him. It was annoying. It was frustrating. But he would not resent it for guiding his destiny. But there were days - like today - when the blue monkey wished he had fought the effects in the past, so that maybe _now _they wouldn't have such a hold of him.

There were days when he wished he had ignored Ant- his old friend's advice and not embraced the control. There were even days when he regretted joining his old friends.

But today was absolutely irritating.

He had done everything that he could to distract himself. He had poured himself into grading papers. He had thrust himself into teaching. He had planned the rest of the year's classes. He had done _absolutely everything in his power _to keep himself from thinking about the past. He had done anything and everything he could possibly do - well, everything he thought of, anyway - to keep himself from thinking about the past.

_Nothing had worked_.

The Power Primate was a persistent beast; not to be ignored, it had pressed on and on and on. He had fought with it _all day long _and nothing had come of it. His mind was weary, and a headache pounded behind his eyes and in the deepest parts of his brain. It felt as if he had finally pushed his mind to the limit; trying to stop the Power Primate was more trouble then it was worth, in his opinion.

The only thing he had served to do was make himself look forward to the evening even more so. The dinner would help him keep his mind off the past, and put a true smile on his face. He did enjoy 'hanging out with' the Amelia and her husband. It was a pleasure that he was not afforded often.

And not only that, but he needed something to distract him from the names and memories that were jumping unbidden into his mind.

He _needed _it.

* * *

A day had passed since Jinmay and Chiro had spoken to Sprx and Nova. A day had passed since Chiro's vision. After he had regained consciousness, Jinmay had told the red and yellow monkeys to take a day to decide, and helped Chiro out the door.

Currently, the two teenagers were in a hotel, eating donuts gotten from the continental breakfast.

"Do you think they'll agree?" Chiro asked softly, running a hand through his jet black hair and staring out the window at the beautiful and peaceful town.

"They _have _to," Jinmay whispered. "You're the Hyper Force. Fighting evil is what you _do_. I mean, what could have been so bad that it drove you guys apart? I mean… you were all nearly inseparable before you left!"

Chiro nodded, before fidgeting slightly. "I don't remember much. I have feeling we all remember more, and because we were so traumatized by the event, we've forced it from our minds. Often when I'm meditating, I come across parts of my mind that my subconscious has locked from me, and I cannot open those doors. They are sealed too tightly for me to break."

Jinmay frowned. "It would be helpful to know what drove you apart… maybe if you could find out, you could fix the rift in your relationship."

Chiro licked his lips. "You're right to a certain degree… but I think the best thing to do would be to put that particular memory to rest. We don't need to dredge up bad memories now… I'm afraid that… I'm afraid that to pull it up will be to ruin our relationship forever. That's the vibe that part of my mind gives off."

Jinmay nodded. "It's going to come back and haunt you, y'know."

"Yeah, I figure that too. Whatever happened in the Robot that day, Skeleton King is going to try and put it against us again, thanks to the way it worked before. Hopefully we'll be able to stand against it again. Hopefully…"

"When you told me about what happened… you mentioned a monster. Something really scary. Does it have something to do with why everyone's acting so strange?"

"Yes. When I told you that story, you recall I said that the actual fighting was a blur? Well, when you remember a battle, how does that normally go?"

"Well… I remember everything – especially the fighting – in perfect clarity… Rarely is it a blur. It's as if time slows down in those moments…" Jinmay whispered, realizing what Chiro was getting at.

"Yeah," he nodded. "What the six of us should remember in perfect clarity – in stunning detail – is a blur. We don't know what happened. Quick flashes are all that at least I can remember. I suspect it's the same for the others as well."

Jinmay finished all that she was going to eat that morning, and as did Chiro.

"Time to talk to Sprx and Nova?" she asked quietly.

He nodded.

They held hands, walking out of the hotel and towards the simians houses in silence, thoughts occupied with their previous conversation.

* * *

"What do you mean you're not going to help us?!" Chiro asked the two simians, distraught. He didn't raise his voice, but he did sound quite distressed.

"Chiro… we have responsibilities and duties here that we cannot just abandon," Nova said softly. The resentment she had been harboring towards Chiro was acting up again, but she forced the irrational feeling down. She had no memory of why she should feel this way, and so she would ignore it.

Chiro took a deep breath, trying not to lose his cool. He could not break down now. They didn't understand the severity of the situation.

_Though they should… Skeleton King is on the loose and it's remarkable that he hasn't conquered planets yet._

"Look… yesterday, when I had my vision, it wasn't a pleasant scene that I was shone. I was… given a scene of us working with the Skeleton King. We were enjoying the death and destruction that he was causing… that _we _were causing. At the very end of the vision, the voice that I have come to associate with the Power Primate said, '_Beware what will come if they do not join you…' _Meaning, that if we do not join up as a team again, that is what will come! We are the few who will fight Skeleton King. The allies will protect their homelands, but we are the ones who will step into his territory and finally stop him like the prophecy of the Chosen One says! …not that I know what it says, but regardless, that is what we must do!"

Sprx and Nova swallowed. They knew that visions given from the Power Primate were rarely wrong, and they could not stand by idly and let the Universe fall to Skeleton King.

Nova sighed. "Alright. I see your point," she said softly. "I understand now why you were so panicked when you exited that vision… and I don't want that kind of a future. Working for Skeleton King? That's not on the list of things I want to do. I think I speak for us both on all this," she glanced at Sprx.

He nodded.

"We'll help you. But we can't leave at once. Or at least not both of us. Who are you going to get next?"

"Gibson," Chiro said softly.

"Right. Sprx, take them in your ship to where Gibson's at," Nova said firmly, leaving her fiancé no room (or will) to defy her. "I'll stay here and make sure everything will be okay when I leave. Once you have Gibson, you can come back and get me."

Chiro nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

Sprx fixed the young man with a hard glare. Chiro knew he meant no ill will (or, at least, he hoped he didn't) but the glare was still unnerving.

"After all of this, Kid, don't expect us to be a happy team again, okay? We're doing this for the sake of the Universe. Once everything is said and done, Nova and I are comin' back to Galaxia, gettin' married, and settling down happily ever after."

Chiro nodded, giving a half smile. "I didn't expect anything else from you, Sprx."

"Good. Now that that's clear, get yourselves back to wherever your stuff is stowed, grab it, check out of wherever your staying, and get your butts back here. Then I'll take ya to my ship."

The teenagers nodded. "You got it."

* * *

**Tauria: **Not much of a cliffhanger this time around is there?

Anyways, yes, I made Gibson throw himself into his work to try and forget about the team. It's not real obvious yet, but I hope to make it a bit more obvious in the next chapter. And yes, he does go by Hal now. Reasoning is in the next chapter, though there is one person who knows why already ;) Mainly because she gave me the idea for it.

In case anyone is confused, the reason for Sprx and Nova agreeing so easily after his long explanation and believing it so easily is because the Alchemist programmed them to protect the Universe, first of all. Second, Chiro _is _the Chosen One. The Power Primate compels them to believe him and to follow his lead. There are probably other reasons too, but I can't think of them right now.

Hopefully monthly updates are not going to be regular. It's irritating, wanting to work on a story and for some reason being unable to... (in this case, lack of inspiration to sit down and write...) However, reading my reviews and getting some new ones finally gave me the kickstart I need XD

And speaking of reviews, can I have some? Please?

(...darn these long authors notes. See, this is why I usually have characters intervene. They keep me from rambling. However, right now I'm too lazy to pull any into the A/N...)


	9. Tense Ride and Annoyed Professors

**Tauria: quick note! This chapter may not make as much sense with the previous one, but I'm working on rewriting a couple parts, so that's why. I'll let you all know when thr previous chapter has been rewritten and updated ^.^ **

**Divided We Fall**

_Tauria_

**Tense Ride and Annoyed Professors**

Chiro's blunt nails dug deep into his palms with how tightly he clenched his fists. His every muscle ached from how tensely he was sitting, but he couldn't help it. The animosity rolling off Sprx was nearly tangible, and as such, it formed a thick rope of tension between the two boys.

Swallowing was painful, and Chiro could only hope that they got to Gibson soon. He didn't know how much longer he could take sitting in the cockpit with the red monkey. And as much as he would love to go find a room and take a nap until they got there… he couldn't have Sprx thinking he was weak. He desired to prove himself to the red monkey – just as he had long ago, when he first met the team.

A gentle hand on his shoulder caused him to jump, and he looked up to meet gentle green eyes. Jinmay sat beside him, her soothing hand running up and down his back, causing him to relax. He winced as his muscles relaxed, but soon let out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks," he muttered gratefully, leaning against her.

"Don't worry about it," she smiled at him, resting her cheek against his soft black hair. "Everything is going to be okay, you know… It'll work out in the end. You're heroes. It can't work out any other way…"

"You'd be surprised," Chiro said softly, wrapping his arm around her waist. "During my travels, I met several heroes who disbanded… and not because peace finally reigned, but because they broke up. Some of them could recall what happened, others… well, they had no idea what happened."

She shook her head. "Chiro… I understand that whatever happened had Skeleton King's hand in it, and I understand that right now… it looks hopeless. However, two years ago, before you left to fight Skeleton King, you had the closest bond I have ever seen in _anyone_. _Nothing _could separate you, save for dark magic. Whatever happened wasn't natural. It wasn't right. Therefore, you guys _will _be a family again. I just know it."

He gave her a small smile. "I suppose you're right… my worry is that what Skeleton King did was permanent… that we'll never get back together, because the scars will still be too prominent."

She smiled slightly, but not at his words. "Do you know what I think, Chiro?"

He looked up at her, waiting for her to continue.

"I don't think your Chosen One duties are going to stop with Skeleton King. I think Skeleton King is the first step – a 'test' of your abilities – before the bigger stuff. I don't know what the bigger stuff is, but I'll bet Antauri does. Or that he would know someone who does."

He nodded. "You're probably right…"

"Mhm… and that means that you guys can't disband. You're still needed as heroes. You'll still have the dark forces to fight!"

He gave a small smile. "I suppose you're right… but I can't help but worry…"

She kissed him briefly – the first one they'd had since he left – and touched her forehead to his. "Chiro, you wouldn't be human without some sort of doubt, or worry about this. Just don't let it consume you."

He gave her a small smile. "And since when did you go getting all philosophical on me?"

She grinned. "No idea. But _one _of us has to be wise."

"…let's leave that for Antauri," a new voice said, the red monkey throwing them both a cocky smirk.

Jinmay gave him a wide grin, and Chiro's worries ebbed slightly with the pilot's witty comment. Maybe things _would _turn okay.

"Agreed," Chiro grinned at him.

They laughed.

* * *

Sprx hated being used. He was not a marionette to be yanked around like a child's toy. He was not something to be toyed with, something to be used for another's personal gain. Sprx hated loss of control. He hated being forced to do something against his own will.

And exactly what is all that referring to?

The complete helplessness he had felt about having to help Chiro. He had been unable to refuse the Kid, and not because of the seventeen year olds natural persuasion skills or charm… but because he just cared _that _much… but because something had forced him.

He had felt it. Just for a second, it had felt as if he was not in control of his own body… as if someone had taken control of the strings at precisely that moment and forced him to agree to helping the Kid.

He _hated _that feeling. The helplessness, the thought of being used, but most of all, the sensation of having one's private thoughts and inner self being completely and utterly violated.

How did Antauri and the Kid do this every, single day? How did they tolerate the fact that something else could just zap in and force them into something they didn't want?

…was that how Chiro felt when he became the leader of the team? Did he feel like something had forced him into it?

If so, Sprx felt a lot more respect for the Kid during those first few months. He didn't even try to complain. He accepted everything without even a frown… most of the time, anyway.

Sprx wasn't able to do that. He wasn't able to shrug off the thought that he was a puppet; a toy in some bigger game they had yet to be part of… completely, anyway.

Sprx was beginning to believe Skeleton King was right.

They were pawns, nothing more.

The pilot frowned at his depressing thoughts. He needed to focus on something else… something happier.

Ah, Nova.

The image of the beautiful golden monkey was like the warm, gentle heat of the sun melting the cold, bitter ice of winter. She chased away the little nightmares running amuck in his mind… she chased away visions of a smaller, puppet version of five monkeys and a teenage boy, being controlled by swirling tendrils of green.

Of course, the image of the yellow monkey quickly led to images of that same monkey in a flowing white dress, a bouquet, and a smile that could put the sun to shame. Her cheeks were rosy, and she looked a combination of beautiful and adorable, wrapped up in the best package Sprx could ever have wished for… he loved her so much.

'Course, she would punch his lights out if she knew he was thinking such thoughts. She'd kiss him afterwards though, letting him know that she really did appreciate his compliments.

He missed her already.

What was he supposed to do without her there beside him? For the past two years, they had been nearly inseparable. Sure, he had to leave occasionally to train the new cadets, but for the most part… they were never _not _together.

He sighed softly.

He missed Nova.

He missed Galaxia.

He missed the Super Robot.

He missed Shuggazoom…

Then a singular truth jumped to the forefront of his mind.

He missed being apart of the Hyper Force. When they had worked together, there hadn't been too much of a push from some unseen force. There hadn't been any feelings of utter helplessness to say what needed to be said. There wasn't any of that.

There _had _been a feeling belonging – of being chosen for some higher purpose. There _had _been a feeling of being destined to win in the end…

And, of course, there were the fangirls, the autographs, and the awesome tricks he was able to do on patrol… but none of those things were what Sprx missed.

He missed his family.

He missed the arguments between Gibson and him. He missed the loud noises coming from various parts of the Robot, and the following 'Oops' from the green monkey. He missed playing video games with Ch- the Kid. He missed watching Nova train in their training room, up until she decided she'd had enough of his 'laziness' and dragged him in there with her. He missed Antauri's cool stare, and strong presence. Somehow, without words, the silver monkey always seemed to offer comfort, just by being there.

He missed sitting around the dinner table, full of all of the members of the Hyper Force and watching as Gibson complained about Otto's mess. He missed watching as Otto dug into his food with all the manners of a wild animal. He missed watching as Nova laughed, talking to one of the other members. He missed watching as Antauri watched with a smile on his face, laughing quietly. He missed listening to the others talk, missed always being ready with a witty retort or to respond in whatever way 'appropriate' for the time. He missed watching as Chiro halfheartedly scolded Otto, though he ended up laughing more than scolding.

Sprx shook his head. There he went again. He was _tired _of thinking depressing thoughts.

He turned his attention to the upcoming wedding. _That _was bound to get his mood up.

_…I wonder if I could convince Nova to have it by the lake, just outside of town… That would be a _great _wedding… And I know for a fact that some really pretty flowers grow by the waters edge… _

Sprx grinned to himself, absorbed in his mental wedding planning. He was going to have a whole list of stuff to try to sway Nova with when he saw her again…

* * *

Hal rubbed his eyes. He had only been within the classroom for about two and half hours, yet he was already exhausted. Thank goodness, he still had coffee, or he would probably _never _make it through this hectic day.

He was at a lull between classes, cleaning up his desk so that he could make room for the _next _round of papers that would assault his workspace. Such was the life of a professor, but Hal wouldn't change it.

A student walked into the room, a student Hal was _very _familiar with. They had this ritual at least once every two weeks.

"Professor," the student – who's name was Victor – all but growled, "I don't understand my latest grade. _What _did I do wrong?!"

Hal rubbed his temples, biting back a smart retort. For some reason, they were always jumping readily to his mind lately. "Your theories, hypotheses, and proposed experiments were just…" the professor shook his head. No words described the paper. "I haven't seen such… such complete thoughtlessness since Sprx-"

A glassy look covered the professor's onyx eyes as he stared over the desks. He shook his head. "I'll fix the grade. Just go."

Victor frowned. "Um, thanks…?" He was extremely freaked out. Never once had the professor offered to change his grade… never once had the professor looked so distant… so sad…

"_Go_."

The student quickly rushed out of the classroom, startled by the professor's sudden outburst.

The very last time he had slipped up aloud like that had been nearly a year ago…

.

_Nolan – a prodigy student of his – had come up to show him a notebook of designs he had been working on. They were drawn with such detail, such care._

_"Oh wow, Otto, these are such great designs!" Hal complimented, mentally rushing back in time for a few moments, recalling the last time he had seen such intelligent designs. _

_"Um, professor?" the student raised an eyebrow. _

_"Yes, Nolan?" Hal asked with such happy glint in his eyes that the student decided not to correct him. It didn't matter anyway. _

_"Nothing," Nolan grinned. "I'm glad you like them."_

_"I could contact some universities or other mechanics to help you turn these designs into the real thing," the professor suggested with a smile. _

_"That'd be awesome!"_

_The blue simian grinned. "I'll get in contact as soon as I can. Have a good day." _

_"You too." _

_It hadn't been until he got home that he realized his mistake. _

.

Hal sighed. It really had been just one of those days.

**XxX**

It was his last class of the day. The students were silently reading and working on the assignment he had given while he shuffled through his briefcase for the papers he had graded the previous night. It had been hard work – there were several times he had almost put the names of his old fam- people he knew. For some reason, their names had been jumping to the forefront of his mind that night… as if some unseen force was pushing them into his mind.

Giving the papers a quick scan through, Hal declared them all fit to pass out. He softly called the names of the students up to the desk, and gave them each their papers.

Alisa – a student who reminded him much of his… sister – frowned at her paper. "Um, Professor?"

"Yes?"

She pointed to where he'd put 'Nova' on her paper. He frowned. He gently took the paper and corrected himself, giving her a small smile.

"Sorry Alisa. I was a little distracted last night."

Alisa gave a little grin, and the professor could only imagine what kind of rumors would go around _this _time.

_Hopefully it wouldn't be as bad as the time those rumors went around about how I used to have a lover named Chiro… _Hal frowned, lightly shaking his head. It had all started with there being a student named Ciro in his class, who acted very similar to someone Hal had once known. A few slip-ups later, and the student had stopped correcting him. Once Hal had realized what he was doing… it hadn't been pretty.

A few students later, another student frowned.

"Yes?"

"What's with the three different scribble spots?"

"I was trying out emoticons," Hal lied.

"Since when is a-n an emoticon?" Ace frowned at him.

"…it's a quite popular one everywhere I've seen," Hal lied again, wishing the student would just drop it. He wasn't in the mood to deal with this today.

"I suggest you find some new emoticon teachers," Ace frowned.

Annoyance entered the blue monkey. It was an emotion he was quite familiar with, unfortunately. "And I suggest you quit irritating the monkey who gives you your grades."

"…sorry, sir."

No more mistakes or scribbles were pointed out as he handed out the last of the papers.

Once everyone had returned to his or her seats, Hal stood to begin teaching that day's lesson. He had just turned to the board, his favorite marker in his hand. His mouth was halfway open to begin teaching, when the distinctive creaking of the door opening interrupted him. His eye twitched.

"Gibson?"

The marker he was grasping broke in half, and he – calmly as he could manage – turned to the door and forced on his most pleasant smile, hoping his eye wouldn't start that irritating twitch again. "Why don't all of you take a moment to review your homework," he advised the students, and turned to the two 'intruders'.

One was a red monkey with onyx eyes, much like his own. The other was a boy of around seventeen, with black hair and blue eyes.

"And what is it the two of you need so desperately that you couldn't wait until my class was over?" Hal asked, narrowing his eyes at the two.

"Well, duh," the red monkey said. "We need _you, _Gibson."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he said calmly, lying through his teeth. His heart pounded in his ears. This could _not _be happening. "My name is not – and never has been – Gibson. The idea is absurd. I am Hal. Preferably Professor Hal, or just Professor. Mr. Hal if you absolutely _must_."

"Hal was Gibson's first name," the red monkey returned flatly.

The blue simian scoffed. "Hal, a first name? Laughable."

The teenager sighed. "Look, _Gibson_, we know that the… events… hurt you, but we need your help."

"My name _isn't_ Gibson," he said, with as much control as he could muster. His voice was shaky, but filed with venom.

The two opened their mouths, but Hal held up a hand to silence them. If they were going to insist on having this conversation, it was going to be _after _all of his students had been dismissed. Enough rumors were circling about the blue monkey as it was, and he didn't need anymore.

"Class, you're dismissed. It appears this will take up the rest of our time, so you may just go." He said firmly, hopefully leaving room for no questions.

A student raised their hand. "Does that mean that we don't have to do the reading?"

"If you want to fail tomorrow's pop quiz, then go ahead."

Collective groans filled the room, but most evacuated, book in hand, with the reading pages marked carefully.

"Doesn't it defeat the purpose to tell them about the pop quiz?" the red monkey asked, once the majority of the students left the room.

Hal gave him a flat look. "Like there's _really _going to be a pop quiz."

The red monkey raised an eyebrow, and the professor just shrugged.

The few remaining students shared elated looks.

"Look, Gibson, we've got to get back together. As a team again… just one last time," the teenage boy pleaded after a few moments.

"For the last time… my name is _not _Gibson! I have never gone by Gibson… I've never even met someone with the name Gibson! I've heard of a few brand names, and possibly a company, but never have I heard it as a name!"

The other robotic simian in the room growled. "Stop it, Gibson! We _need _you!"

The mask of calm, collected, sarcastic Hal cracked. He knew there was no point to continue this flimsy charade, but he could not allow himself to be drug back into this again. He couldn't afford to be as hurt as he had been the first time again…

"You must be thinking of my twin brother," he said nervously, knowing he was running out of believable excuses.

Somewhere in the room, he heard a whispered conversation.

_"Told you he had a twin brother!" _

_"_That's_ why he broke up with Chiro! Chiro left him for his twin!" _

_"No way! It has to be the age difference!"_

_"Are you kidding?! It's because Professor is a monkey, and Chiro is a human!" _

"You just said you'd never met someone named Gibson!"

"Sprx, I'm telling you –" he frowned. "Ah, monkey doodle."

Sprx smirked.

Chiro gave the red monkey a light frown. "Sprx, be nice. As for why we're here –"

Gibson growled, effectively cutting off the boy's sentence. "I don't _care_, Chiro. I'm done with this. Done with the Hyper Force. Done with Skeleton King. I'm done with _all _of it. I've been done with it for two years," he said, an undertone of barely suppressed rage coating his tone. His eyes were full of anger, but more importantly…, they were full of hurt. "All day, you're names have been popping into my head! You've been bothering me _all day_ without actually even _being_ here, and now that you're here, you think you can waltz in and just… just bring me back to the team that easily?! _No_! I have had _enough_! I'm _sick of this_! I just want to be Professor Hal. I just want to be _happy_!" Gibson's fists were clenched, and his cheeks were red with anger. "I don't want to hear a word you have to say," he said softly, turning away and striding back to his desk.

The two exchanged a glance, while the remaining few students fled the classroom, some leaving behind books and papers in their haste to escape the professor's rage.

"Gibson…" Chiro said gently, walking over to the scientist, who actually had a few tears soaking his cheek fur. "I'm sorry we hurt you. I'm sorry you're going through so much… and I wish I could leave you here, where you're happy," he said softly, lightly resting his hand on the simian's shoulder. "But unfortunately… the Universe needs us. The Power Primate has summoned us, and I wish we could just ignore the call, but we _can't_. We have to stop Skeleton King."

Gibson just looked at him. "We've always been told it was our duty," he whispered. "But for the last two years, I've seen neither hide nor hair of him. Why is it suddenly important _now_?"

Chiro frowned. "I don't know, Gibson. I don't hold on the answers. I wish I did. All I know is that the Power Primate has summoned us again, and… we need to heed its call. Just for one last time, and then everyone can return to their new lives."

Gibson sighed. With everything in his being, he wanted to resist what the boy was saying. He wanted to push back, to say that no, he wanted to stay where he was. But he couldn't. The Power Primate forced the answer from him – much as he despised the thought.

"Alright. Just let me gather some supplies and make a few quick calls."

They nodded. "Alright."

He wished he could have resisted, but he forced the thought from his mind. Despite all his protests, he knew that there was some part of him that _wanted_ this. Not the Power Primate, but some part of _him_ that wanted to join them again… some part of him that wanted to go back to being a hero… some part of him that wanted to be a family again, though he doubted that they would ever be able to reestablish that bond ever again.

It just didn't seem possible, after everything that had happened.

* * *

**Tauria**: …I feel like Gibson's part was a little rushed, and not very well thought out… but I hope you liked it anyway XP

And once again, I know that he agreed a little too quickly, and I tried to explain it in the paragraph afterwards, but if it doesn't make sense, let me know ^.^ and it was also kind of explained in Sprx's part of the chapter, but still.

Thanks Grungekitty for all your help with this chapter! …especially those rumors xD

Once again, hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review!


	10. Personality Changes

**UPDATE: Chapter 8 has been EDITED. I took out a few parts so you may want to re-read it! That said, please enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

**Divided We Fall**

_Tauria _

**Personality Changes**

Nova smiled at the familiar number flashing across her communicator screen. Sprx was calling. She answered, warm pink eyes ready to see him. It had only been an afternoon and a day, but it felt like so much longer since she had seen her fiance. _So _much longer.

"Novs!" he greeted her. "Long time no see, right?"

She chuckled. "Right."

"Well, I don't have long - gotta drive, y'know - but grabbing Gibson was a success! Took him forever to pack, though."

"It did not!" an indignant voice sounded behind him. "And call me _Hal."_

Nova laughed. _Seems like some things don't change... or at least, not on the surface. Though the calling him Hal thing is new..._ she mentally frowned.

"Anyway," Sprx said, waving off Gibson's protests. "I've messaged you the coordinates to where Otto's located. Some sort of desert planet with one heck of a cave system," he told her. "Apparently, all the cities are underground."

Nova grinned. "Well, I bet."

"Anyways, I also sent along the coordinates on the planet to the city Otto lives in. We'll meet you near the caves entrance."

She nodded, looking forward to seeing him soon. "I'll be there. I love you Sprx."

"I love you too Nova. Gotta go..." he momentarily frowned.

She gave a soft smile. "See you soon."

He shot her his signature grin, and they both hung up. She tilted her head back, feeling an empty ache in her chest. Once upon a time, she would have buried the ache underneath lots of training and busying her mind with other things, but now... now all she could think about was getting back to Sprx. It sounded cheesy and cliche, but it's what she wanted. She worried for him.

With Skeleton King still being out there... and with them knowing that he was a threat... well, it wasn't something she wanted to get in the way. She didn't want anything to happen to Sprx. She _couldn't. _She wouldn't be able to bear it if it did. At the very least she needed to be at his side, knowing that she had at least _been there. _

She had one more call to make - to let Offay know she was leaving - and then she would be on her way. Her ship had been packed since Sprx left. There were only a few things she needed to grab, and then she was gone. She absolutely could not wait to see Sprx again.

She was also looking forward to seeing the team again. She knew once they were all in the same room together - or even just in the same building - she wouldn't feel that way. But she did miss them. She missed the way things used to be. She missed fighting the Skeleton King and protecting Shuggazoom. She missed fighting off hordes of Formless.

There were days where she didn't understand why they had broken up. There were days when she didn't understand what had drove them apart. But there were also days that she had an inkling of why... only a small reason or two, but it satisfied her mind. And remembering those days, remembering those first few months after the split, remembering those _bad days... _well, it made her fear the team getting back together again.

Because she was _afraid _- and it pained her to admit it - of the pain that would come afterwards if they decided to split up again. She was _afraid _of the consequences.

But most of all, she was _afraid _of what would happen if they _chose to stay together_.

Within her heart - the deepest, most private part of her heart... a part she had only been paying attention to in recent years - she knew that this fear of getting back together again was irrational. She knew that it was something she shouldn't be afraid of; she knew she should embrace it wholeheartedly.

But she just _couldn't_.

Instead, she focused on other things. The wedding, for instance. She focused on new plans to try on the trainees. She focused on Sprx. She focused on loosely planning their future (Sprx would never be able to stick to even a short term plan...).

One day, she would be ready to consider their future that involved the Hyper Force. She would be able to focus on including them in the wedding - maybe. She would be able to focus on her life with them involved. But for now, she would keep on focusing on Galaxia, Sprx, and the wedding.

After hanging up with Master Offay, Nova grabbed the few things she was unable to pack, and climbed into her personal ship. It was small - she hadn't wanted anything too big - and could actually fit within Sprx's ship, which would make it easier when they met up again.

Typing the coordinates into the auto-pilot, the yellow female set an alarm, and decided she'd take a nap. She hadn't slept well the previous night, having been up late arranging everything to where both Sprx and she could leave Galaxia for a time. It was hard, since the two of them had become so depended on.

After the Worm, and after the War... Galaxia had not been the same. Nova had felt responsibility for what had happened to them, and so she offered to help. The others had all planned to help after Skeleton King... but that had not gone according to plan. Sprx had gone with her. He wanted to make good on his promise... and he had not wanted to leave Nova's side. She was grateful for that, because he had made separating easier. She dreaded what she might have become - what he might have become - if they had separated.

The old her would have been shocked about how much she depended on him now. It wasn't much of a dependence, of course, but she did rely on him being there.

Oh, how she missed him...

Nova yawned, closing her eyes. She would be there soon... she really needed to work in that nap...

* * *

The hallways of bone echoed as a creature limped towards the throne room. Standing at full height, the creature would have been around seven feet tall, but as it was, it was slumped over, as if it was a hunchback. It's hands were yellowed bones crusted with rusty red blood, and they dragged the floor. It's arms, legs, and torso had places covered in burnt flesh, though there were also places where said flesh dangled, revealing muscles and bones.

Its face was similar. While it still had lips, half a nose, and most of his cheek flesh, it had empty eye sockets that would glow red when it was amused, angry, or hungry. One ear dangled, while the other was still attached. Limp strands of hair clung to its head, though much of it fell off.

It was genderless.

It may have once lived, but that no longer mattered to it, nor to any who hired it. Or any who met it all, really. Most were only concerned with getting as far away from it as possible.

It entered the throne room, bowing low to the cloaked creature on the throne. Skulls littered the floor, and torches dimly lit the room with green fire. The hood - which appeared to be empty - turned to the creature, though it did not shrink in fear as it should have.

"What do you need?" the hissing voice had sent many cowering in fear, but not this creature.

"They are gathering together again, my lord."

"Good." the hooded figure - known as Skeleton King - sounded as if it was smiling. "That plays right within the plan."

The creature smiled slight as well, revealing its yellowing, bloodstained teeth, and a long, black, forked tongue. "Would you like me to prepare the others?"

"Yes. And I have someone I wish you to call..."

The creature looked up at him expectantly, waiting for the rest of the instructions. Skeleton King told him those plans, quickly and efficiently. This served to make the creature grin wider, eyes flashing red for a moment.

"Of course, my lord." with another bow, it left.

Even after the door closed, Skeleton King's malicious laughter still echoed down the hallway.

**(A/N That was creepy to write... I've still got the shivers o.O) **

* * *

He was _not _in a good mood.

First, he had woken from his first _good _dream all night by ferocious pounding on the door, and loud yells telling him to get up. Second, he hadn't had much for breakfast because of his late start. Third, both the people he worked _with _and those he didn't work with had _seriously _ticked him off already.

_Normally_, this didn't happen until later in the afternoon.

However, after a night of tossing and turning... after waking up several times in the night thanks to bad memories... after thoughts of his past jumping unbidden to the forefront of his mind... well, he just hadn't been in a good mood to start with.

He had been _hoping_ that working would help to clear his mind, help him to forget... but no. He couldn't stop comparing the people he knew now to the people he had known once before... to those he had called his friends.

_They abandoned you... _his mind hissed at him. _They left you, and the Super Robot. They haven't come looking for you since, after all. And why should they care about you? You're pathetic. You may put up a tough front to all these people here... but we know the truth. And so do they! You're _nothing_. They're having the time of their lives without you, and you know it! _

The green monkey snarled, the noise coming from deep within him. It was primal. It was _dangerous_. It was everything he had become in the last two years. It was the same snarl that had caused others who were twice as big as him and twice as muscled to think twice about crossing him.

Though, the looks on their faces were nothing compared to when he brought out his saws...

A sneer - though it was a pleased grin, truthfully - covered his muzzle.

"That's it!" his manager grinned. "That's the ferocity we're looking for!"

Truthfully, he hadn't even being paying attention. He mentally shrugged. Whatever. He had unknowingly made his manager - responsible for getting him the gigs that would pay well - happy. It didn't matter if he was listening or not. If it was important, the manager would be speaking louder.

"You know..." he looked through the list of available "jobs". "I think you're ready for _him _today." he pointed out the name on the list.

The green monkey grinned, slightly twistedly. "Think he'll have the guts to take me on?"

"I don't think he'll expect much from ya," his manager said, appraising the monkey with a quick sweep of his eyes. "But like ya do everyone else, you'll prove him wrong quick enough. Try to drag this one out, by the way. Makes more money when you do that."

He nodded. "Whatever. Just schedule the fight already."

His manager sighed, but went to do so.

Otto turned back to the punching bag dangling from the ceiling.

This life had taken some getting used to in the beginning, but now he had accepted it. He was an underground fighter now...

With his lifestyle, his appearance had changed as well. He seemed some days that he could never get the dried blood out of his fur, and his saws... well... they had become quite grotesque in the two years he had worked there. A scar trailed down his left eye, and another one was on his right ear. He managed to avoid scars for the most part, being a good fighter. He refused to say where he got his practice from, though, causing rumors to circulate.

He ignored them.

He had thrown himself into the fighting with everything he had. This was something he had fully embraced; something no one would have expected from him if they had known him before. He wasn't the sweet, cuddly, fun-loving monkey that he had been in the past. Fighting was his new passion. He was dangerous and wild, some even called him out-of-control.

All he knew (and all he cared about) was that he would _never _be connected to the old "Otto". He would never be looked at as the sort who would have possibly been a hero in the past. Beyond that... all he worried about was winning.

Not that he _ever _lost, of course.

He was Blood-Blade, and he _didn't lose_.

* * *

**Tauria: **Wow, only 4 days this time XD Happy Valentine's Day, everyone ^.^

...yeah, I'm not to happy with this chapter, but here it is anyway. I'm tempted to rewrite it, but if I do... well, another month will pass by before it's posted XP

Anyways, hope you enjoyed!

(...and an author's note that didn't go on forever? Hm... CX)

Please leave a review!


	11. Blood Blade and Captive

******Divided We Fall **

_Tauria_

**Blood Blade and Captives **

His saws whirred, a rusty color from the blood that had been spilt and dried upon them. Fresh blood still lingered on them from his most recent hit, while a small lake of blood had pooled around his small, white feet, still warm. He wiggled his toes slightly.

Blood Blade grinned his trademark maniacal grin, catching some of the dripping blood with his tongue. Victory always tasted so sweet. He closed his eyes as he relished it for a moment.

The man's limp body still lay at his feet, eyes still open in horror as he realized what was coming. The green monkey placed one of his small feet on the burly man's wide chest, the maniacal grin turning into a victory smirk.

It had been a while since he had killed anyone in the ring. He had missed the feeling…. It put him farther from his weak past self. It put him farther from those he had once called friends. It helped distance him.

Besides, it wasn't as if Blood Blade cared how he had to win. He didn't care about the casualties or injuries; he just wanted to win.

His arm was yanked in the air.

"And the victor is BLOOD BLADE!"

Had there ever been any doubt he would win this match? He had an unbeatable record. Even when he was still the weak-minded hero, he had been unbeatable. His opponents (and their fans) would do well to remember that.

Eventually, he exited the ring, and headed towards the showers. His handler walked along beside him.

"Excellent job!" he praised. "You've scored another victory for Blood Blade!"

"Did you really expect anything else?" Otto asked dryly, raising an eyeridge.

"Of course not," Garret shrugged. "Though for a minute there it almost looked like you _were_ going to lose."

"All apart of the show," Otto explained. He enjoyed putting on a show; enjoyed toying with his opponents by making them think they were going to win when really he was controlling the show all along. It was part of what made this underground fighting gig fun.

And way different from his old life. He gave himself a slight shake of the head. He didn't need to focus on that. This was the here and now, and that's what he needed to focus on. He needed to keep his attention on the fights, on the current moment. He lived moment-to-moment, day-to-day, fight-to-fight. The past didn't matter, and neither did the future.

Though sometimes he wondered what would have happened if things had been different. After all, he had almost become a mercenary.

It had been during those first few months before his career had picked up. Things were dull, and he had a lot of time to himself. He had already acquired a taste for blood, but he didn't get much of it. A local mercenary who had seen him fight had called him up and told him that he had a great chance in the career. Told him to give it some thought and to get back to him.

A few days later, Garret had found him and told him he had promise. He had been a handler for some of the bigger underground fighters, and Otto soon found himself torn between two decisions.

He decided to give Garret a chance, and his whole career had turned around. Otto had found the mercenary again, and told him he'd give him a call when his underground fighting days were over (which for Blood Blade, probably meant when he finally got beat). **(A/N Fun fact! This is actually what I considered doing for Otto, and probably would have had the gap been longer than two years. I'm considering working it into another idea, or doing a story central on this, though. It'd be fun to play with ;) **

Otto gave a mental eye roll. Apparently, today was going to be one of those blast from the past days….

Leaving his handler waiting outside, entered the shower room and grabbed his hygiene things and got to washing off the blood. He hated it when it dried and crusted into his fur. Few things were more uncomfortable.

After a short shower, he grabbed what he needed to clean and sharpen his saws and rejoined his handler. While Garret spoke on the phone, Otto started taking care of his saws.

"Right," he said when he was done, "I've got you booked for several more fights this evening. Until then, whaddya say to some grub?"

Otto's stomach growled. "Answer enough?"

Garret grinned, and led the green monkey out of the old subway station, and up to the city.

* * *

Nova had immediately entered the cavern upon arriving on the desert planet. She had deliberately disobeyed Sprx to see what Otto was up to. She felt a little guilty, but she needed to know what they were going to be up against. She had hoped to be waiting at the mouth of the cavern waiting for Sprx with Otto in tow.

However, things had obviously not gone as planned.

It was by mistake that she had wandered into the abandoned subway station. She had been a little lost as the city was bigger than she had imagined it would be. She had seen the subway sign, and as the translator did not enable to read signs (and she didn't have a strong enough connection to the Power Primate to be able to call on it) and had gone down, hoping to get directions.

Instead, she had stumbled across Otto in a fighting ring. She had stayed, watching from afar (her cybernetic optics enabled her to see as if she was in the front row, as if she was using binoculars). She had first thought that the poor green monkey had been captured and forced to fight, but that was not the case.

She couldn't believe what she had watched.

Even now, sitting in a booth at the first restaurant she had found, Nova still couldn't believe what she had witnessed. Otto – _sweet, fun-loving Otto_ – had just _killed_ a man… and _enjoyed_ it! If she hadn't been there, watching with her own two eyes, she would have sworn that it was a ludicrous idea. The Otto of her memories was too sweet and innocent to partake in such a ghastly idea.

However, that clearly wasn't his first underground fight. The scars, saws, and general way he acted were proof enough of that. Not to mention his "fans" and the guy she had seen him leave with.

_Is this what he's been doing for the last two years?_ Nova wondered, picking up her menu. Luckily, the menus were in a language she understood. However, she found that after the scene she had just witnessed, she wasn't very hungry. Instead, she decided to order a glass of nectar.

_I can't believe this is what what Otto's become!_ she thought. _But then again, I never would have believed that Sprx would become a fighter pilot for Galaxia… or that I would be training Galaxians instead of being a front-line warrior. I never would have thought Gibson would become a Universitt teacher… nor did I expect us to split up in the first place! Nothing is turning out as we planned, it seems. _

_I was just beginning to be settled into the routine of my "normal" life. I was just beginning to forget about the Hyper Force and letting old scars rest. I was getting involved in wedding planning, ready to become a wife…_

_And now, after two years, we're gathering together again, and I can't help but wonder if that's a good thing or not. All of us have changed, and it remains to be seen if its for the better. I almost don't want to see how this ends…_

Nova shook her head. Since when did she become such a worrywart? Her "normal" life had just been broken for some _real_ action… not training simulator action or training others action, but real _honest_ _to goodness _action. There was going for be fights, there was going to be Skeleton king confrontation, and the warrior inside of her knew that she had better relish it while it came, because before she knew it, it was going to be over again.

She finished drinking her nectar, and stood. It was time to start questioning people. It was time to get her way to Otto, and get things done, regardless of whether Sprx and the others were there yet.

She could handle herself.

Paying for her drink, she left the establishment and made her way back towards the abandoned subway station. Once she reached the stairs, however, she was grabbed from behind. Before she could even activate her transformers, her head was bashed against the concrete.

Nova saw stars, and then everything went black.

* * *

Sprx pulled the ship in for as smooth a landing as he could in the thick desert sand. He and the ship's other three occupants exited the ship, gazing at the cave's mouth, which loomed ominously before them.

"Where's Nova?" he asked aloud. "She said she'd be waiting here for us!"

"Her ship's over there," Chiro nodded his head in the direction. "You and I will check that. Gibson, you and Jinmay check inside the cave and see if she's waiting there."

They nodded.

The red monkey led the way over to Nova's ship, sweat already beginning to trickle down his back and face from the heat of the seven suns. No wonder the natives moved underground.

The light glinted off the ship, making it nearly blinding to look at, but still, the two approached it. When they reached it, Sprx groaned.

"She better be inside that cave or I swear I'll..." he didn't finish that train of thought. Mainly because he didn't know what he'd do… and because it was probably an empty threat anyway. Probably.

Chiro frowned slightly, silently hoping she was in the cave. He hoped that the strong-willed female hadn't run off to find Otto on her own. He had a bad feeling about this…

The human and the monkey made their way back to the cave, both relieved to enter the cooler area.

"She's not in here either," Jinmay spoke up.

Sprx growled. "I'll bet she went after Otto on her own."

"Most likely. Come on," Chiro beckoned them over to the stairwell that lead down to the city beneath the surface. "We'd best get a move on to find them. I have a bad feeling about what we might find."

Sprx gulped. He had been around Chiro, Antauri, and even pre-insane Mandarin long enough to know that if one of them said they had a bad feeling... well, it was in your best interests to be prepared for what you might find.

And if anything had had happened to Nova because she ran off to look for Otto by herself, Sprx was going to kill her.

She shouldn't have run off on her own. She knew better! After all, weren't they always preaching to recruits that no matter how experienced they were, it was always best to use the buddy system?

_Sometimes I think she needs to take her own class…_ Sprx shook his head.

He really, really hoped that nothing bad had happened to her.

* * *

When Nova came to, she was aware of three things.

First, she had been taken to what appeared to be an office. Second, she was tied to a chair with her hands laying on the desk in front of her. Third, her head was pounding so hard, she didn't think she could fight, even though she desperately wanted to.

The door slowly creaked open behind her, though Nova didn't dare move her head to see who it was for fear of hurting herself. She knew that she would need every ounce of wit she possessed to get out of this.

A man sat at the desk in front of her, smiling when he saw her pale rose colored eyes glaring at him. He placed a glass of water and some pills Nova knew to relieve headaches before him. Oh, how she desperately wanted those…

"Ah! I see you're awake," the man smiled at her. "Please, what is your name?"

_At least he's attempting to be polite..._ Nova thought with a mental eye roll. She could care less for niceties at a time like this. However, she would play by his rules… for now.

"Nova."

The man grinned. "Lovely. My name is Stefan. I'm sure you're wondering why I had you…, rather forcibly brought here."

Nova gave a short nod, holding back a wince from her headache. She would show no weakness.

"You see, earlier today, my prize fighter was killed by another rather notable fighter. He looks a lot like you, though he is green furred and black eyed… and scarred. I am awfully tired of losing my best fighters to him, and admittedly, his handler and I have never gotten along. I need a replacement. Someone with a much better chance of defeating Blood Blade."

Nova tried to hold back her disgust for the man. He wasn't even concerned about his fighters; just about beating Otto.

"And that my dear, is why I chose _you_. I noticed you in the crowd, when my fighter was killed. It was apparent that you know Blood Blade."

"And what makes you think I'd fight for you?" she spat.

"Easy," he smirked. "There is one other choice for the job, and that other choice gets a bit too… kill happy for my tastes. I do like to gloat, you know."

Nova stayed silent for a moment. She knew that if she declined, there was a chance Otto would be killed. She also knew she would not be released. He would either kill her, or save her just in case the other fighter failed.

During that time, the others would arrive in the city looking for her. He would find out and either force them to fight, or he would use them to force her to fight.

Besides, if she agreed, she would be able to get within close proximity to Otto, and could convince him to flee with her and join the Hyper Force again.

_...I'm going to regret this. _

"Fine," she growled. "But once I've done what you asked, don't think that stops me from turning on you next."

"Believe me, I'm not too worried about that," he chuckled. "Now I'm sure you have a pounding headache… getting your head smashed into the ground will do that."

She bared her teeth at him. She may have agreed to this, but she wasn't going quietly.

He laughed, untying her and reattaching her hands. He handed her the water and pills, which she quickly downed.

"Now come my dear. I want to see what you can do in the ring."

She smirked. She would gladly show him what she was capable of… then maybe he'd think twice about dealing with cybernetic monkeys. She was, after all, their best warrior. In a place where she didn't have to abide by normal fighting rules (though she would still keep a few, because she was better than that), she knew she could do _a lot _of damage.

It was always nice to make a captor fear for their life, after all.

* * *

**Tauria: **First off, let me start by saying thank you to Domination of the World for suggesting that Nova be put in the ring with Otto. As you can see, I decided to go with that suggestion XD Also, thanks to Grungekitty with her help with this chapter (though you can all pretty well assume she's had a hand in almost all of the chapters...)

As for the chapter, it was pretty dang fun to write. DWF Otto is such a joy to write for XP He'll be fun to play with in later chapters, anyway. Also, I hope that Nova's last part wasn't too confusing! If it was, I'll try to explain it better in the next chapter, when she explains what happened to the others.

A few other things, as well. First, I still can't believe that I'm 10 chapters and a prologue (which I might delete...) into this story, and I haven't even reached the middle yet. Second, I've got _lots _planned out (again, thanks to Grungekitty).

Finally, there may be a SEQUEL in DWF's future. Though it just depends on how this ends... and how it goes... and stuff. But there might be one. I have a loose plan in mind, anyway.

Now, sorry for the long author's note! Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and please leave a review XD

**(also, though I typed the original on my computer, I lost my flashdrive and had to type this on my phone to get it to post. I've gone through a quick sweep of it, but I don't know if I caught everything, so please inform me of any mistakes!) **


	12. Fighting

**In reference for the username change, go check my profile and Grungekitty's (who now goes by Jamie Hammstor). Hopefully they'll have updated by now~!**

**Divided We Fall**

_Tauria_

**Fighting**

"That was Stefan," Garret said as he sat back down at the table across from Otto. "He said that he had a new prize fighter for you to fight. Said something about being _sure _that this one would be able to beat you," Garret rolled his eyes.

Otto smirked. "He says that every time…"

"Exactly!" he laughed. "I don't know why he keeps trying. None of his fighters have beaten you yet."

Otto rolled his eyes. "You can't discourage this guy. He just keeps coming back for more." Otto wrinkled his nose. Then he raised an eye ridge. "But you did agree to the fight, right?"

"Of course," the handler waved his hand.

"Good. I'd love to squash two of his fighters in one day."

Garret laughed. "I knew you'd say that."

"You think he'd finally give up if I did?" Otto asked, despite the fact that he already knew the answer.

"Nah… he's too stubborn." Garret chuckled. But then the handler frowned. "However, there was something in his voice this time… something that made me think that he's finally got one who might be able to last longer then five minutes in the ring with you. Try not to expend too much energy on your other fights, just in case this time he's right..."

Otto nodded, mentally rolling his eyes. There was no way that the other handler would even have a remote chance of finding someone with a fighting chance against him. Anyone who could ever stand a chance against him was far, far away from here. However, he _would _hold back in his other fights, as much as he hated the thought.

He couldn't be getting _too _sure of himself, after all. Stefan was a very crafty man. It wouldn't surprise Otto if he had _something _up his sleeve. _Something _that could potentially _ruin _Blood Blade's career. The green monkey wasn't about to let that happen.

Blood Blade wasn't just muscle, after all. He had a brain... had the ability to think quickly on his feet and plan strategies faster than others gave him credit for. Otto had made sure of that at the very beginning of his career. His downfall would _not _be because one of his opponents had outsmarted him. It just _couldn't _be.

* * *

Nova was nervous… more nervous then she had ever been before a fight. This was not an unknown enemy she was going to be fighting; it wasn't some villain bent on destroying the world, or a mindless drone that carried out whatever orders its master gave it. This wasn't like Mandarin, where they had adjusted (as much as one can) to the fact that he was evil... this was Otto.

This was her little brother. This was the last monkey she would have ever thought to be facing in a battle outside of training. The last monkey she would have ever thought to be facing in a battle with so few rules. The last monkey she would have expected to have to face in such circumstances.

It _scared _her. If _Otto _of all monkeys could be like this... if Otto could be so callous, so _cruel_... if Otto could kill people without a second thought... She shook her head. There was no point in even _trying _to finish that thought.

Otto had never struck her as capable of doing something like this. He had never seemed capable of killing or severely injuring others for no other purpose then to win a fight. She knew, of course, that the green monkey was capable of great things on the battlefield; she had seen it many times. But she had never thought that her fun-loving, hyperactive brother would be capable of what she had seen him do that day.

But, then again, she had also never thought that Mandarin would betray them.

The golden warrior shook her head. Mandarin was the last thing that needed to be on her mind right then. She had other things to focus on... other things to attend to. This was going to be their only shot at getting Otto back on the team. Another opportunity like this would not come their way... or at least, not that Nova could see.

She knew with absolute certainty that the only way to talk to Otto was going to be to beat him in the ring.

This.

Was.

It.

Nova took a deep breath, closing her eyes and clearing her mind. She exhaled the tension from her muscles, the clutter from her mind, and any negative thoughts. She inhaled positive thoughts, a clear mind, and relaxation. The golden warrior did this several times before snapping her eyes open. She glanced at the time. Good. She had just enough time to go over everything that she had learned.

Nova had watched Otto's other fights he'd done that day. She had analyzed his fighting technique in each fight, watching as he adapted to fit whatever fighters were sent his way. Nova had watched how he had toyed with his opponents - making it seem as if they were going to win, only to strike them down. She had watched as he had almost killed another fighter under her gaze.

Every second had disgusted her. It was hard for her to connect the... monster that she had witnessed earlier as Otto. Nova was relieved that their alliance would only be temporary. She couldn't even begin to think of having to stay in the same home as this new Otto for longer than a little while.

However, she knew that right now she had a duty to the Universe. She just needed to beat Otto and convince him to come with them (or just forcibly make him, which she hoped she wouldn't have to resort to).

She only wished that doing so didn't scare her so much.

* * *

Blood Blade stepped into his corner of the ring, leaning casually against the side. He knew he had no reason to be threatened by whatever new battle opponent that Stefan threw at him. After all, his saws had never lost.

He had never failed to cut down his opponent, especially when it came to the other handler. Blood Blade was not going to give Stefan the satisfaction of winning any battle. After all, the other handler was even more fun to toy with than those he fought in the ring. The way the man's eyes would light up when the green monkey made it appear as if he was going to win... only for Blood Blade turn around and strike the winning blow.

The simian relished the sight when it happened.

He started casually sharpening his blades, whistling a quiet tune to himself. All around him, he could hear murmurs. It was the usual excitable murmurs either, but curious ones. It was as if something had surprised them about the opponent approaching the ring. Blood Blade continued to sharpen his saws, one eye trained on the other corner of the ring.

When his opponent filled the spot he was eying, he abandoned all pretenses of sharpening his saws. His eyes widened, and he barely restrained himself from tossing the sharpener.

"_Nova_?" Blood Blade snarled, his eyes narrowing at the yellow monkey that stood across from him.

She held her head up high. "Hi there, Otto," she said softly.

Shock coursed through his veins, as he processed the fact that he was going to be facing another robot monkey.

_Congratulations, Stefan... you may have found one of the few who can beat me,_ he thought dryly. But he immediately dismissed that thought. Judging by the reluctance in her eyes as well as her body language, Nova did not want to be there. Stefan probably forced her to fight, meaning this was going to be easy. She wouldn't harm him. Blood Blade knew that for certain.

But he was going to enjoy fighting her.

He was going to enjoy getting payback from being abandoned. He was going to enjoy getting revenge for them leaving... for leaving the Universe to Skeleton King's pleasure. Did none of them pause to consider the fact that when they left they were _so close _to ending the battle? Did they pause to consider the fact that they were a _family_ at the time? Did they pause to consider that maybe… just _maybe _if they had stayed they could have worked everything out?

No.

They hadn't.

They had only cared about getting out of there; only cared about getting far away from one another.

Those he had once called _family_ had just abandoned one another, abandoned him, abandoned their cause, and...

And now Blood Blade was going to get revenge.

* * *

Nova was panting, a light sheen of sweat glimmering on her fur. It had been a long time since she had had a true fight with someone on or above her skill level, and she had forgotten just how challenging it could be. However, her fists still hit their marks, still knocked out the other monkey's breath. Her kicks fell within the area she directed them (so long as the green monkey wasn't able to move before they did, anyway) and produced bruises she could be proud of.

Evading was slowly beginning to get harder, however. Otto was adapting to her fighting style, and was more easily able to predict where she would move. It was growing increasingly frustrating.

Especially since Nova knew that Otto could adjust his fighting style however he pleased. It was one of the many things that had made the green monkey such an asset to have on the battlefield. No one ever knew what he was going to do next.

Despite all of this, she wasn't going to back down. She had _not _come all this way just to lose. She was going to talk to Otto whether he liked it or not.

* * *

On Blood Blade's part, he was getting _very _frustrated. He had several opportunities to cast a winning blow - whether it be fatal or not - but he had not been able to take them. Some outside force had stayed his hand _every single time_.

He knew what it was, of course. It was the Power Primate, meddling in their lives to ensure that things played out the way it wanted them to. He also knew, of course, that he would eventually have to give up. He would have to do as the Power Primate wanted, because that was the way things worked.

That didn't mean he had to like it, of course. Nor did it mean he had to give up immediately.

No, he would keep going for just a while longer. Even if he could not _win _this fight thanks to the supernatural force, he was still going to push their limits. He was still going to make sure Nova worked for what she needed to say.

It was just how he worked.

* * *

Hal could barely believe his eyes.

Otto and Nova, fighting in a ring? It just didn't add up.

On Nova's part, she looked as if she would rather be somewhere else… as if she would rather have found some other way to get close to the green monkey. Hal didn't blame her, judging by their surroundings, and some of the things he had heard from where he was.

Otto, on the other hand, looked like he had done this a million times before. He looked _comfortable _up there. It was obvious that he was experienced in the ways of underground fighting.

And that was what Hal could not wrap his head around.

Otto was not that kind of monkey! It didn't fit with the image of Otto he had always held in his head. It didn't make sense! The changes in the others, and in himself, had been somewhat _logical_! There was still several aspects of their old personalities… however expanded or withdrawn they may have been. They were still _recognizable_.

But Otto?

Otto was a twisted version of his former self. It was as if something inside him had just _snapped_... as if the once happy-go-lucky monkey had finally broken.

_It must be like a defense mechanism... _the blue simian thought. _It must have been triggered from deep inside him once we split. _

Despite that rationalization, Hal could barely stomach the thought of Otto having been doing _this _for the past two years. He didn't even want to try to _imagine _it.

Hal swallowed, calling the others and relaying the location of Nova and Otto. They needed to see this… _immediately_.

As he waited, Hal was thankful that the next monkey they were going to get was Antauri.

_Antauri will make everything better. He'll fix this. He'll make sure that we're all okay again. Antauri rarely fails in providing the… the support that we need to act as a team again. Surely, he can help this. Surely, he can help us act as a team again for just a little while. He's our only hope._

Hal nodded decidedly. Antauri had rarely ever failed in helping them.

He had pulled them together after Mandarin's betrayal; he had reassured them that despite the fact that Chiro was barely a teenager, he would be able to lead them; he had kept a steady head when it came to almost _anything_. This would be no different.

Antauri would make everything okay again. They just needed to get to him, and then this nightmare would temporarily be over.

* * *

The fight lasted for what seemed like forever. Neither monkey was going to give up on their respective goals.

Until, at last, Blood Blade lowered his saws. Nova, in turn, lowered her fists. The crowd was once again filled with curious murmurs.

"What's going on?"

"What are they doing?"

"Why aren't they fighting?"

As the crowd puzzled out what was happening, Nova and Otto took this time to speak. They knew that this would not last long. Eventually everyone would figure out that they were done. That they were not just waiting for the other to make a move.

"What do you want?" Otto growled out, doing his best to talk without moving his lips.

"The team is getting back together... just temporarily," she whispered back. "Apparently the Power Primate thinks it's finally time for us to all get back together and stop the Skeleton King." Nova rolled her eyes. "Chiro also had a vision that he didn't tell us about, but it seemed to freak him out pretty bad..."

Otto frowned. He could feel his small portion of the Power Primate pushing him to go back to the team and help stop the Skeleton King. He was unsure if that was what he wanted to do. He knew, of course, that it was what he _needed _to do.

_I could use the closure_, Otto thought. _I can finally close that chapter of my life for good... but the moment it's over, I'm leaving. I'll go join the mercenaries. _

He gave a short nod.

Nova's shoulders slumped in relief, and then they activated their jetpacks, leaving the ring. It wasn't long before they were joined by the others.

"What happened?! Why were _you _in the ring?!" Sprx asked.

The others looked like they wanted to know the same thing.

Nova sighed. "I'll explain everything once we're in the ship."

* * *

Sprx was exhausted, mentally and physically after the day's events, though his mind was working overdrive, keeping him from sleep. So, instead, he was flying the ship, and thinking.

His muscles ached from combing the underground city - which was far larger then he was expecting. It was larger then Shuggazoom City for sure, though Shuggazoom had many more skyscrapers, but that was understandable. He hadn't minded doing so, of course. It was partially for Nova after all.

But then... what happened after that was the cause of his mental exhaustion.

What they had found when Gibson called them to the location of both Nova and Otto had completely floored the red monkey. And with good reason.

Otto had _not_ been what he expected; actually, Otto hadn't been what _anyone _was expecting. The sweet, light-hearted, occasionally hyperactive young monkey that he had known before would never even have _dreamed _of doing something like this.

Or so Sprx believed… or rather, he hoped.

Because... when he looked back on it, he realized he didn't know the green monkey all that well. None of them did, really. Sure, they knew that Otto had other emotions other than super happy. They knew that Otto wasn't just a big goof, not just a giant child.

But they didn't _know _him.

It was highly possible that this was just one of the many facets of Otto's personality… that this had been hidden under the depths of the green monkeys outward personality since they knew him.

It was also probable that this was just the worst brought out in him from their separation.

Either way, the shock of what – and who – the lovable Otto had become had knocked them all off balance. At least Gibson becoming a university teacher was something that could almost be _expected_ from the blue monkey. Nova teaching warriors how to battle was also something that could be easily predicted.

Otto becoming a lethal underground fighter, who did whatever he had to win, however, was not something that he could have predicted.

It didn't even make _sense_ to Sprx.

_And_ _what _were _you expecting, Sprx? What _were _you thinking would become of Otto? _

Sprx couldn't answer his own question. All he knew was that it wasn't this. He would never have believed that this was what could become of his little brother.

_I hope we reach Antauri soon_… Sprx knew that the spiritual monkey was – at this point – the only hope for salvaging the team. Antauri was the only thing that was going to be able to hold them together.

They needed the silver monkey's wisdom. They needed his quiet assurance. They needed him to know that everything was going to be okay.

* * *

A few hours later, they stood before the tall, non-descript white building. Each of them stared at it with a mixture of confusion and the slightest bit of concern. It was not where they had expected their last team member to be, but they all knew that there were various reasons as to why Antauri would be _here_, of all places.

All the same, they couldn't help the tiny bit worry that crept in them.

"You're sure that this is the place?" Sprx asked the seventeen year old.

"Positive," Chiro nodded. "This is where the Power Primate led me. We don't have much of a choice but to trust it."

Sprx nodded, though the red monkey was still doubtful as to the fact that Antauri truly rested inside the building before them.

The others felt much the same.

The three monkeys (Otto had elected to stay behind and watch the ship while Jinmay made sure he didn't sabotage anything) and their human leader entered the building, walking straight up to the receptionist. Chiro did a quick scan of the schedule behind her to make sure that they would not be out of place, walking in like this.

"We're here to see Antauri," Chiro reported.

The woman's eyes instantly lit up. "Oh, he hasn't had visitors in _so long_. Just sign your names here," she slid a clipboard over to them, "while I get Cassidy."

Chiro nodded, while the blue haired lady left. He had just barely looked down at the paper before the lady came rushing back.

"No need to sign that!" she said hurriedly. "Cassidy says you can just go ahead back… the names and time can be documented later."

They blinked. This must have been quite the momentous occasion for them to insist that they don't have to check in.

Throwing a quick glance back to the clipboard, Chiro could feel the beginnings of doubt creeping into his heart.

They followed the receptionist through a door and into a hallway where they met Cassidy.

Cassidy was short for human standards, with curly blonde hair done up into a high ponytail. Her bright, bright blue eyes were just a bit bigger than the average Shuggazoomian's. Her ears were pointed and her cheekbones were high. Her skin had a slight pinkish tinge, and she had a pixyish frame.

"Hello!" she said brightly, giving them all a bright smile. "You're here to see Antauri?"

Chiro nodded. "That's right."

"Oh goody!" she giggled, turning to lead them down the tiled hallway. Her ponytail bounced and swayed almost hypnotically, and Chiro found himself wondering if ponytails were even _supposed _to bounce like that.

"Is she… _bouncing_?" Sprx whispered, too quiet for the woman to hear him… though Chiro was certainly able to.

"I don't know, but her ponytail sure is," the seventeen year old returned.

Luckily, they paused in front of a door before any of them had too much time to think on it. Cassidy swiped her card, and the door slid open.

The team stepped in.

* * *

**Tauria**: Well. That was a monster of a chapter to write. It was fun though.

First, this chapter was written _way _out of order. I kept jumping around to random scenes, and then went back and ordered them properly, and I'm afraid it may seem kind of jumbled and a little choppy... Hopefully it's just me.

Second, I know that Otto's decision may seem a little abrupt. That's kind of how it's supposed to feel. Otto just kind of... leaps into some things without thinking too much on them.

Third, I don't know about anyone else, but Sprx and Gibson's parts seem a bit repetitive :/ Like, they just... repeat each other. Hopefully that's just me too.

I don't think to highly of this chapter - and I was going to have Fastern, who offered to beta for me, read over it - but then I realized this update has taken long enough as it is! Sorry about the delays (and you can thank Grungekitty for just telling me to go ahead and freaking post it already!)

Let me know of any formatting mistakes - my computer decided to be mean at the last second.

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review :)


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